


O Damned Iago.

by Ardent_Autumn



Category: Othello - Shakespeare, SHAKESPEARE William - Works
Genre: F/M, Iago is maybe a little bit stupid here, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Some characters might be a little out of character, Some parts are similar to the original plot, Starts at the end of Act II Scene III, The final chapter seems a bit rambling but oh well, This is my first work, This is the product of A-Level English and lockdown, This is what happens when none of my friends are as interested in "Othello" as me, VERY mild violence in chapter 14
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:02:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 21,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24231775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ardent_Autumn/pseuds/Ardent_Autumn
Summary: What if the play was reversed? Instead of Iago tricking everyone [by "everyone" I mean Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, Cassio and Roderigo] what if he was the one being tricked by them?Alternate plot where everyone finds out about Iago's plots and decides to play along until they can properly call him out.This isn't in script format, and some parts/dialogue are similar to the original play, although there are some additions as well.Posting one chapter every day or two, depending on if anyone seems to like them. Starting off with chapter one.[This is my first ever post, so it may seem a bit weird, I'm sorry.]
Relationships: Cassio/Roderigo (Othello), Desdemona/Othello, Emilia/Iago, Iago/Othello [one-sided]
Comments: 30
Kudos: 14





	1. Iago's not-so-secret Soliloquy.

**Author's Note:**

> For Iago's second soliloquy in Act II Scene III, he's not actually "alone" as such - Cassio is in bed in the same room. [I know that's not what it implies in the written version, however I'm basing this off of the 1990 adaption of "Othello".]
> 
> Any feedback would be appreciated. (:

The last thing that Cassio saw before he shut his eyes was Iago smiling down at him warmly. God, he’d never met a man as honest as Iago. A brilliant advisor, and so full of good intent. All in all, the evening had not been a good one - somehow Cassio had ended up drunk, then in a fight, before stabbing Montano in the midst of it. When he came to his senses barely a few minutes later, he felt mortified and ashamed of himself for losing self-control so easily. But really, the only thing he’d been able to focus on was his reputation - and his stripped position. Had he been left to his own devices, Cassio might well have harshly disciplined himself out of spite for his reckless actions. However, Iago counselled him; gave him some stellar advice on how to get himself back in favour. Truly the friend he needed. He’d never even met a Florentine as kind and honest as Iago was.

Cassio was vaguely aware of Iago sitting on the edge of his bed, the same position that he’d been in after putting the covers around him some minutes ago. Cassio smiled to himself, thinking that perhaps Iago had accidentally fallen asleep there. He was feeling pretty tired himself after the ruckus from ten minutes ago, and still a bit woozy from his short-lived period of drunkenness. Sighing softly, Cassio turned onto his back, more than ready to submit himself to the peaceful lull of sleep that was calling his name after such an eventful evening. But just as he felt himself starting to drift off, he heard Iago beginning to speak.

Initially, Cassio wondered if Iago was addressing him - but it soon became apparent that he was in fact talking to himself, which meant that Iago probably assumed that Cassio was asleep. Obviously, this wasn’t the case, and the latter decided not to make this known for he was curious as to what Iago was going to say. Knowing him, it was probably going to be an expression of his sympathies regarding the drama that had occurred. Such an honest man.

From what Cassio could hear, Iago was talking about the advice he’d given along with how Desdemona was full of good intent and that Othello would practically sell his soul for her.  
Cassio relaxed. Iago certainly wasn’t wrong on that score.  
“I can’t believe how easy it was to convince Cassio to appeal to Desdemona. Perhaps he’s not as intelligent as I thought he was. What a fool.”  
Cassio then froze in shock. No way had he heard that correctly. Iago would never say that, would he? It wasn’t possible, surely?  
“And when this fool starts begging Desdemona to help him, she’ll start readily appealing to the Moor on his behalf. All I’ll need to do is make my suspicions known to him - that should put him into an irrational bout of jealousy. The more she tries to get Cassio in Othello’s good books, the more suspicious he’ll become. It’s a perfect plan that easily exploits everyone’s weaknesses, and turns it all into one big trap that will enmesh them all.”

Once Iago had finished his musings, Cassio allowed himself to let out a breath that he hadn’t even realised he’d been holding. He forced himself to remain silent and still, lest he ruin the illusion of him being asleep - but inside he was in turmoil. What on earth had he just heard? Surely that hadn’t been _Iago_ speaking? Someone as loyal and trustworthy as Iago would never in their right mind say something like that…

Before Cassio could give it any more thought, he heard someone else enter the room. He kept his eyes shut and attempted to identify the person judging by their footfalls, but the effort was futile. Whoever it was, they sounded out of breath as if they’d just been attacked.  
Growing curiosity, confusion and dread prompted Cassio to continue to listen intently.


	2. Iago's Last Success at Manipulation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The visitor is revealed - and they're not happy with how things have turned out so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, second chapter in.  
> A lot of this is similar to the original plot - just some re-wording into a modern format. Still, I hope it's good regardless.

“I-Iago!” A whining voice that sounded distinctly like Roderigo’s pierced through the room. Iago looked up sharply to see Roderigo himself staggering into the room. He looked rather worse for wear. His forehead was bloody and his hair was messy and his clothes were dusty with a few minor rips in various places. At least it was authentic, given the war circumstances.  
Iago put a finger to his lips and gestured to the bed where Cassio lay, presumably asleep since Iago hadn’t heard a peep out of him since he put the covers over him a few minutes ago.  
Checking to make sure that Cassio was still asleep, Iago got up off of the bed, approached Roderigo and dragged him into a corner to prevent him from waking up the former lieutenant.

“What’s the matter, Roderigo?” Iago asked his friend innocently, grabbing some bandages from a nearby table to tend Roderigo’s head with.  
“What’s the _matter_?” Roderigo repeated incredulously. “The matter is that my money is almost all gone and I’ve spent part of the night being mercilessly beaten up. Although I lack my fortunes, I’m going to return to Venice with a little more wit than I had before.”  
Iago began treating Roderigo’s head injury as he spoke. “Come on now, Roderigo. You’ve got to be a little more patient than this. Nothing seems to be happening now, but all you need is some patience! You’ll start to see things picking up for you soon enough.”

  
Roderigo shook his head despite the fact that Iago was attempting to bandage it up. He jogged Iago as he moved his head and earned himself a hard look. Wincing, he continued.

“But I don’t see there being a chance of anything happening! Look at me tonight! I’ve come all this way just to loose the majority of my riches and be beaten up to what felt like within an inch of my life. Where’s the goodness in that?”  
Iago snorted disdainfully. “I keep telling you, you need patience! Can’t you see that things are going well? Okay, so you’ve been beaten up by Cassio - but look on the bright side! You got him demoted, and that’s what we were both aiming to do, is it not?”  
Roderigo shrugged. “Well yes, but-”  
“But nothing.” Iago interrupted. He finished tying the bandages. “Now then, it’s already morning - I suggest that you go back to your lodgings and get some sleep. I’ll explain the situation more to you later, alright? Now go.”

  
Begrudgingly, Roderigo complied, though he didn’t look at all happy about it. Iago didn’t care though - all he cared about was the fact that his plans were progressing perfectly so far.

After a brief glance behind him to check that Cassio was still asleep [and concluding that he was by the looks of things] Iago began to speak to himself once again.  
“Honestly, Roderigo is such a halfwit. It doesn’t take much to manipulate him into doing something that you want him to do. It’s almost irritating at how foolish he is. Still, it all works in my favour, since I can easily control him and use him as my pawn. I plan on using him later on in my plots, depending on how they progress - but I’m not too sure yet. I’ll just have him on standby for the moment. Now, all I need to do is get Emilia to help make Desdemona side with Cassio. That shouldn’t be too hard; I can set her on easily enough. Once Desdemona and Cassio are talking, I just need to take Othello aside at precisely the right moment so that I can voice my opinions to him and make their company look suspicious. Make it look like they’re having an affair to make him fall into a jealous rage. Yes, that should work. This plan is proceeding just as I want it to so far.”  
With one more backwards glance towards Cassio, Iago started heading out of the room. “Since it’s already morning, I’d best wake Cassio up if he doesn’t wake up himself in the next hour or so - otherwise it might be difficult to time everything precisely.” Iago muttered to himself as he exited the room, quietly congratulating himself for his elaborate scheming.


	3. Back in Favour.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing Iago let slip his plots, Cassio goes to find Roderigo and Othello to inform them of what's going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who've read this, and those who have left Kudos. I really appreciate it! <3

The minute that Iago left, Cassio jumped out of bed, allowing the covers to fall to the floor. He was still in a state of shock after hearing everything that Iago had just said. He almost didn’t want to believe it. Iago had seemed to _honest_ and valiant. Cassio had never even heard him say a bad word against someone before - and yet he’d just heard Iago let slip about some kind of evil schemes he had in mind designed to bring everyone down! 

Immediately, Cassio rushed out of the room, briefly pausing to make sure that Iago wasn’t anywhere in sight. He had to tell everyone the truth about Iago and what he was plotting.

  
One glance at his watch told him that it was just striking 6:00am. It was unlikely that Othello, Desdemona or Emilia would be stirring yet.

_Maybe I should try and find Roderigo first._

  
The only issue with that was the fact that Cassio didn’t have a clue where Roderigo was staying. The only person who might have had an idea would be Iago - but if he was to approach him and ask where Roderigo was, Iago was bound to find it suspicious, and Cassio didn’t want him to catch on to the fact that he knew about the plotting.  
Thankfully, as Cassio stepped warily outside into the dawn of Cyprus [which actually looked surprisingly picturesque] he spotted Roderigo walking away in the distance. His pace broke into a run as he hurried to catch up with Roderigo before he vanished out of his sight.

“Roderigo!” Cassio called, trying to keep his voice relatively low in case he woke anyone up.  
Roderigo turned around at the sound of his name, looking confused. Upon spotting Cassio, he instantly occupied a terrified expression, although he was trying to appear indignant.  
“C-Cassio?” He stuttered. “You’re not here to beat me up again, are you?”  
Rather than replying, Cassio glanced left, then right, making sure that nobody else was around. When his search proved that the streets were deserted, he quickly pulled Roderigo into a nearby alley. Roderigo was beginning to shake, his eyes widening in terror. Evidently, he thought that Cassio was going to beat him up again. Unfortunately, their surroundings didn’t improve the mood - but it was necessary in case Iago came along and saw them. Cassio wasn’t sure if his lodgings were nearby, but he didn’t want to take his chances.

“I’m not here to beat you up.” Cassio said to Roderigo, trying to sound reassuring. “Um…on the topic of that…I’m really sorry for beating you up earlier. I was drunk, I wasn’t thinking.” He extended a hand towards Roderigo. “Please accept my most sincere apologies…if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, name it.”  
Roderigo slowly reached out and shook Cassio’s hand, a little warily. Two pink spots formed on his cheeks, though they weren’t totally visible in the dawn light, and Cassio missed them.   
“It’s fine…thank you. I probably shouldn’t have started that fight with you by mocking your manners, but Iago-” Roderigo paused and abruptly drew back. “he gave me satisfying reasons.” He muttered.

  
Cassio bit his lip. “That’s actually who I wanted to talk to you about.” He admitted. He took a deep breath. “I know you probably won’t believe me when I say this, but…Iago is using you as a pawn for his plots.”  
Roderigo blinked in disbelief. “Using me as a pawn? What plots?”  
Cassio sighed deeply. “I heard Iago speaking, back in the Citadel.” He began. For the next few minutes, Cassio explained to Roderigo everything that he’d heard. The latter slowly began to believe him as he went on, despite the initial confusion.  
“You know…that explains a lot.” Roderigo said finally, looking down at his shoes. “I thought it seemed a bit weird for Iago to be asking me to do all of these things when they weren’t even remotely related to what I wanted to achieve anyway.”  
“What did you want to achieve?” Cassio asked curiously.  
Roderigo twisted his hands together. “Oh, nothing.” He responded hurriedly.  
Cassio shrugged before glancing at his watch. “I should probably get going now…I need to catch Othello, Desdemona and Emilia so that I can inform them about this.”  
Roderigo nodded. Then he frowned. “Wait,” he said. “What now? I mean…if Iago finds out that we know about his plans, then we could be in trouble.”  
Cassio clicked his tongue thoughtfully. “That’s a good point.” He agreed. “I hadn’t thought of that. I think…for now, go back to your lodgings and sleep - you look like you could do with some. If Iago calls on you to do something for him…pretend to accept it, but don’t carry it out. If you can, come and find me - or the others - and tell us about what he asks of you.”  
Roderigo nodded. After swapping addresses so that they knew where to find each other if need be, Roderigo continued heading on his way as Cassio swiftly began walking back towards the Citadel. He needed to talk to the others before Iago started anything.

Luckily, there was still no sign of Othello’s Ensign when he reached his destination. The only person in the area was Othello’s Clown. Cassio walked over to him, in the hopes that he could get Othello to come outside and speak with him.  
“Excuse me. Can you hear, my friend?” Cassio began politely.  
The Clown looked him up and down. “No, I can’t hear your friend.” He replied. “I can only hear _you_.”  
Cassio discreetly rolled his eyes. Trust the Clown to make a pun on his words. “Very funny.” He said. “Look, would you do me a favour and see if the general is awake? If he is, please ask him if he can come out here. I desperately need to have speech with him.”  
The Clown arched an eyebrow. “Begging for your position after last night’s debacle, are we?”  
Cassio shook his head. “No. This is actually more important.”  
The Clown gave him the once over - before mercifully nodding. “Alright. Well, the general is awake, sir. I’ll see if he’ll come outside to speak with you.”  
“Thank you.” Cassio said in relief.

Whilst he waited, Cassio kept looking around tentatively, on the lookout for Iago. He needed to be prepared with an explanation, after all. He could probably use the excuse of appealing to Desdemona as Iago had suggested that he do last night, but that wouldn’t work f Othello agreed to come outside and speak with him. He crossed his fingers that the general would accept his request and hear him out.  
A minute or two later, Othello emerged from the Citadel, looking dignified and authoritative in his usual uniform. For a brief second, Cassio felt intimidated and was tempted to scarper - but he stood his ground, knowing full well that what he had to say was important.

  
“Hello, Cassio.” Othello said, nodding at him. “I know that you’re probably very disappointed about being dismissed yesterday, and I do wish that I didn’t have to do it - but Montano has a lot of influence in Cyprus, so it wouldn’t have gone down well otherwise.”  
Cassio gave him a weak smile. Clearly, Othello also thought that he was only there to beg for his position back. In all honesty, it was a tempting thought, since he missed the position dearly - but he had to have his priorities just now.  
“I’m not here to talk to you about my position, sir, although I wish I was.” Cassio told him. He glanced around furtively before asking: “Could we possibly have this conversation inside the Citadel? My reason will make sense after I’ve explained everything to you.”  
Othello looked confused, but accepted graciously.

Once they were safely inside the Citadel, Cassio sighed in relief. He turned to Othello.  
“I know that you’re probably going to have your doubts when I tell you what I’m about to tell you - but please hear me out and take this into account.”  
Othello simply looked bemused. “Okay…what have you got to tell me, Cassio?”

Cassio steeled himself. “Alright, so…” he started nervously. “This morning, I was lying down in one of the beds in the main area of the Citadel. Iago was sat beside me, and I think he thought that I was asleep because he began talking to himself.” Cassio took a deep breath before continuing. “And…and he began talking about how he planned to get me drunk and demoted all along. He planned that because he wanted to give me a reason to appeal to Desdemona, in this case about getting me back into your favour again. He intended to take you aside whilst I was conversing with her, and suggest to you that Desdemona and I were having an affair in order to make you jealous and suspicious. I-I think he wants to try and ruin your marriage to her.” Cassio sighed deeply once he was done.   
Othello was looking at Cassio, his expression a mixture of astonishment…and the faintest bit of doubt.

“I promise you that I wouldn’t make something like this up.” Cassio added miserably.  
Othello nodded slowly. “I know you wouldn’t.” He said eventually. He paused. “I suppose it did seem a little suspicious when last night’s brawl occurred. You’re not a drunkard or a violent man by nature, I’ve seen enough of you in the past to know that. And I must admit, I _thought_ there was something a little odd about Iago’s expression when I reprimanded you last night. Almost as if he was looking smug and gleeful.”  
Cassio grimaced. “He probably was, considering what had happened.”  
Othello nodded thoughtfully. “Well, that certainly does explain it.” He agreed. He paused again. “Thank you for informing me of this, Cassio.”

“You’re welcome.” Cassio responded. “So what do we do about Iago?”  
Othello drummed his fingers against a nearby tabletop, deep in thought. “Well, I suppose we can’t do much until we can prove Iago’s intentions.” He pointed out. “But if he figures out that we’re aware of his scheming, then we won’t be able to prove it. Perhaps the best thing to do at this stage is pretend to be oblivious. Acknowledge everything that Iago says and does, and pretend to believe it, act upon it, etcetera. If we can keep up an act of pretence, then hopefully there will be an opportunity for us to prove Iago guilty of his actions later.”

  
Cassio thought about it. It certainly made sense, and it prevented any one of them possibly falling into a precarious position if Iago was to find out that they knew.  
“That’s a good plan.” He conceded. “I think it would probably be a good idea to tell Desdemona and Emilia about this too, since Iago mentioned both of them in his plans. He mentioned Roderigo too, but I’ve already let him know about this.”  
“I’ll do that straight away.” Othello assured him. “But tell me: has Iago suggested that you appeal to Desdemona for your position?”  
Cassio nodded. “Yes. He hinted that I should do it this morning.”  
“Right.” Othello said. “What I’ll do is I’ll send Desdemona and Emilia outside to talk to you - the three of you should pretend to talk about your position if Iago shows up. Then I’ll let him take me aside and see if he makes any implications at any point. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make more sense of his plots from there. But one thing is crucial: we must keep up the act to ensure that Iago himself doesn’t get suspicious.”  
Cassio once again nodded solemnly. “I understand.” He said. He turned to take his leave.

  
“Oh, Cassio?” Othello called, beckoning him back. Obediently, Cassio came back over.  
“Yes?”  
“Consider yourself back in favour. I’m giving you your position as Lieutenant back, as a thank you for the warning and because I understand now that last night wasn’t completely your fault.” Othello told him, smiling. “I said that I still loved you, and I meant it. The only thing is that we mustn’t let anyone else know about this aside from Emilia and sweet Desdemona. We shouldn’t tell anyone else in case Iago catches wind of it.”  
Cassio nodded. “I completely see where you’re coming from.” He said. “I humbly thank you for the second chance, and I promise never to step out of line again.”   
Othello smiled at him. “And I will happily hold you to that promise.” He responded. “Now, we’d best depart for now - I’ll send down the other two once I’ve explained everything to them. Just remember: do not give Iago any reason to be suspicious of us. Nobody else can know of this. It’s absolutely vital that we keep this concealed.”


	4. Retaliated Deception.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassio, Desdemona and Emilia briefly talk about what they've found out before Iago appears.  
> The three of them and Othello start to carefully fake their reactions to keep Iago fooled.

Cassio walked back outside into the crisp, fresh courtyard air, feeling a lot better than he was just a few minutes ago. He was back in favour with the general and he had his initial position back - that was more than he’d come for, and it made him overjoyed to think about.  
The Clown watched as Cassio strolled back into the courtyard with a smile on his face.  
“Something tells me that you’re back in favour with the general.” He remarked.  
Cassio started. He tried to stop smiling, but it was irrepressible. He remembered Othello’s words: “Nobody else can know of this. It’s absolutely vital that we keep this concealed.”

  
“Well…not exactly.” He lied. “Othello and I just…made our amends. We’re at peace now.”  
The Clown nodded sympathetically. “That’s good. He was dispirited by last night’s fiasco.”  
Cassio nodded, though inside he couldn’t help the small bout of guilt that worked its way through his system. He had never intended to hurt Montano physically, or hurt Othello mentally. He’d never wanted to cause trouble for anyone - that just wasn’t the kind of person he was. Although…the fact that Iago had managed to easily convince him to get drunk kind of demonstrated his naivety. He’d need to be far more careful in the future, that was for sure.

A couple of minutes later, Cassio looked up to see Desdemona and Emilia approaching him, chatting companionably - though their expressions looked far from relaxed. Desdemona looked wary, Emilia indignant. However, they both continued to chat serenely. Cassio guessed that this was part of them putting on an act in case Iago was nearby.  
Thankfully, he was still nowhere to be seen, which made the situation less stressful. Desdemona and Emilia cast a quick, furtive glance around the courtyard before sidling up to Cassio.

  
“Hello, Cassio.” Emilia began tentatively, her gaze darting left and right.   
“Greetings. I’m guessing that the general told you both about…?”  
Desdemona nodded. “He did.” She clarified softly. “It was such a surprise.”  
Emilia’s expression hardened. “It certainly was.” She agreed. “I knew Iago wasn’t the nicest of people, but I didn’t think he would stoop _that_ low.” She shook her head. “In many ways, I’m ashamed to be married to him.”  
Desdemona nodded sympathetically. “Perhaps you could file for a divorce once Iago’s plots get uncovered.” She stopped. “How exactly are we going to do that though?”  
“I’m not entirely sure myself.” Cassio said uneasily. “Othello said that we just needed to keep pretending in order to make Iago think that we’re oblivious to his scheming. But when the time’s right, hopefully we’ll have the evidence we need to expose him. Anyway, where is Othello at the moment?”  
Desdemona gestured back towards the Citadel. “My lord is in the main area of the Citadel. He’s expecting Iago to come along at some stage and “distract” him whilst we talk.” She told him.

As if on cue, Iago suddenly appeared from around the corner.  
“Speak of the devil.” Emilia muttered.  
He spotted them and began striding over, an air of confidence and dignity oozing about him.

  
“Hello, Lieutenant. Hello dear, and my lady. I trust that you’re talking about Cassio’s position and getting him back into the general’s good books?”  
Desdemona smiled sweetly at him, though her teeth were gritted. “We were indeed.” She said smoothly. “I was just telling Cassio how I’m going to do everything I can for him.”  
Iago nodded and smiled. “Now there’s an obedient lady. So kind and honest. Almost as honest as myself, I must confess.” He stated.  
Emilia appeared to be restraining herself.  
Desdemona continued to smile, but it was getting more and more forced.  
Cassio stepped in before the atmosphere turned too tense. “You are indeed an honest man, Iago.” He complimented. “Why, I’ve never met a Florentine more kind and honest.”  
Iago’s smile remained in place - though Cassio observed that it was beginning to look more like a smirk - only to the trained eye, though. Nevertheless, he tried not to let it irritate him.

  
“Now that you’re appealing to Desdemona here, I’ll go and distract Othello. That way he’ll be out of your way, which gives you the opportunity to talk to Desdemona in private.”  
Cassio feigned a grateful look. “That would be very appreciated. Thank you, honest Iago.”  
Iago once again regarded them with his strange half-smiling, half-smirking expression before he waved and began making his way towards the Citadel, presumably in search of Othello.

All three of them breathed a sigh of relief once he’d gone out of earshot. Keeping up an act of dissimulation was a lot harder than it appeared on the surface.  
“Thank goodness he went away when he did.” Emilia asserted. “I was sure that I was going to end up saying something to him otherwise.”  
Desdemona and Cassio both nodded empathetically. It had been rather difficult to keep silent around Iago and not blurt everything they knew about the treacherous manipulator.

  
All of a sudden, Othello and Iago emerged from the entrance of the Citadel, apparently deep in discussion about something or other, possibly state affairs or something similar.  
As they got closer, it became clear that Othello was attempting to tell them something by the motion of his hands. He was moving his hands in a shooing gesture, all whilst trying to look inconspicuous. It was being done loosely enough so that Iago would think that his hands had simply gone numb, but the gesture was difficult to distinguish from a distance.

  
Desdemona quickly caught on as they advanced nearer. “Quick, Cassio!” She hissed out of the side of her mouth. “Depart from our presence so that Iago has an excuse to make a comment or voice any alleged suspicions that he may have. It’s what he wants.”  
Cassio briefly nodded. Then he looked up, directly at Othello and Iago. He caught Othello’s eye. The general gave him a brief nod. Cassio immediately faked a nervous look before speed-walking away from the Citadel and away from Desdemona and Emilia’s company.


	5. Acting Time.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Othello, Desdemona and Emilia continue to act oblivious as Iago begins putting his plans into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is relatively short, so I've decided to post two new ones at once this time.

Iago watched as Cassio hurriedly left Desdemona and Emilia. He had done it directly in front of Othello too. Perfect. Everything was going smoothly so far.  
 _Time to start making Othello suspicious._ He thought gleefully. He cleared his throat.“I don’t like that!” Iago declared, as if he was musing aloud. Iago studied the general’s face. Had he heard him? Did his face just twitch ever so slightly at the remark?

Before Iago had a chance to repeat what he’d just maintained in a differently-worded way, Desdemona bounded up to them with Emilia in tow. The former was smiling charmingly.  
“Hello, my lord!” She exclaimed, embracing Othello passionately, whom grinned at her in delight. “I was just speaking to a former friend of yours. Someone who’s suffering as a result of your anger.”  
“Was it Cassio who left you just now?” Othello asked her, still grinning beatifically.  
Desdemona nodded. “Indeed it was.” She admitted, her tone of voice burning with intense passion. “He’s so humbled and so despairing, my lord. I beseech you, call him back.”  
Othello’s expression didn’t falter as he looked her in the eyes. “Not right now, dear. I’ve got some urgent state business that I need to attend to first.”  
“But it will be soon?” Desdemona begged.  
“It will, because you want it.” Othello told her gently.  
“Well, tonight at supper? Or tomorrow morning? Tomorrow afternoon? Evening?”  
“Please, no more, my dear. He can come whenever he wants.”  
“My lord, this is not a favour.” Desdemona responded. “Come on, you’ll never meet a more worthy, valiant soldier than Cassio! He’s so honest and loyal to you.”  
“I will deny you nothing!” Othello exclaimed. “But please, leave me a while.”  
“Would I ever deny you anything? No.” Desdemona said, grinning. “Goodbye, my lord.”  
Othello embraced her. “Goodbye, gentle Desdemona. I’ll come and see you straight away.”  
The two of them hugged for a little longer before breaking it up. Desdemona beckoned to Emilia, and the two of them walked back inside the Citadel, striking up a conversation.

Othello watched them go. Iago watched him do so.   
_He seems slightly disconcerted. Iago thought to himself. Now’s the perfect time to start voicing my suspicions to him. With luck, it won’t take much convincing._  
It was time to start laying down the pegs that would make this music.


	6. Jealousy and Motives.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iago starts planting his suspicions into Othello's mind. Othello pretends to believe him and his implications so that Iago remains under the delusion that his plots are working.
> 
> Once Iago leaves, Othello ponders what Iago's motives are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite long, maybe this one could be seen as Act III Scene III - just a changed version of. Some of the dialogue will probably be somewhat similar to the original [although in modern English, of course] but I hope it's good regardless. (:

Othello waited uneasily for Iago to say something. His Ensign appeared to be deep in thought, and he was pretty sure that he knew what he was thinking about. He was probably thinking about how to word his “suspicions” to Othello. But strangely, he had said nothing. “Such an excellent girl! Good lord, I love you - and when I stop loving you, all chaos will arise again.” Othello declared, speaking more to himself than he was Iago, but hoping that his commentary would prompt Iago to say something regardless.

  
Iago cleared his throat. “My noble lord-” He began.  
“What did you say, Iago?” Othello responded instantly. He was tense, but so eager to hear Iago speak. Not because he really wanted Iago to be deceiving him, but because it would confirm that Cassio was telling the truth about his Ensign. Othello knew he’d be relieved if Iago inadvertently corroborated Cassio’s claim - but simultaneously, he’d be feeling wretched and betrayed to know that Iago seemed to be out to get him. He couldn’t settle on one emotion.

“Did Cassio know of your love for Desdemona when you were wooing her?” Iago asked.  
Othello frowned. He’s already trying to drop Cassio in it. He thought.  
“Uh, yes. He did. The entire time. Why do you ask?” Othello replied hastily.  
Iago gave a casual shrug. “Just for the satisfaction of my thoughts. No reason.”

  
Othello arched an eyebrow. He was curious to hear what Iago’s thoughts were.  
“Why for your thoughts, Iago? What are you thinking?” He wanted to know.  
“Oh, I just didn’t know that he’d been acquainted with her.” Iago responded innocently.  
Othello nodded. “He did. He was our messenger on several occasions.” He said.  
Iago appeared to be comprehending all of the information with an expression that was part-curious, part-worried. Not that it was a genuine expression though.

  
“Indeed?” He said shortly.  
“Yes, indeed.” Othello finished. “Is he not an honest man?” This time he was speaking from the heart. He knew that his Lieutenant was truly loyal and truthful - how he could have ever dismissed him from duty, Othello would never know.  
“Honest, my lord?” Iago repeated.  
“Honest? Yes, honest.” Othello answered firmly. He waited for Iago to make up some lie.  
Instead, he responded with what would have been an irritatingly vague answer, had Othello not known any better.  
“As far as we know, my lord.”  
Othello pretended to stare at Iago intently. “What are you thinking?” He demanded.  
“Thinking, my lord?” Iago, once again, parroted.  
Othello rolled his eyes in incredulity. Clearly Iago was capable of echoing anything that was said to him perpetually. Which made sense…it was all part of manipulation. He knew now.  
“You’re echoing me, Iago.” Othello proclaimed. “You’re acting as if there’s some monster in your thought that’s too hideous to be shown. You must mean something.” He insisted. “Even now, I just heard you say that you didn’t like it when Cassio left my wife. What didn’t you like?” He paused. “If you love me, show me your thoughts.”  
Iago smiled earnestly. “My lord, you know I love you.” He asserted, skilfully side-stepping the question entirely.

  
Othello bristled silently. Was there…? There was definitely hints of sarcasm in his tone. Something about his voice and expression seemed patronising, and he didn’t like it one bit.  
He had to take a deep breath before saying the next bit, lest he sound too unconvincing or accidentally give away a hint to Iago about his awareness of the plots. “I think you do.” Othello bit his lip before continuing. “I know you’re full of love and honesty. You weigh your words before you give them breath, and that’s why these stops of yours frighten me.”  
Iago’s smile didn’t falter. “I assure you that it’s nothing.” He said. “As for Cassio, I daresay that he is honest.” He finished, his voice tinged with praise.

Othello peered at Iago, confused although trying not to show it. Why on earth would Iago be praising Cassio now? Why was he calling the man honest when he’d just stood there and made clear-cut implications that Cassio was suspicious of something or other? Othello blinked, then drew in a breath. Of course…it was manipulative technique.   
I must be careful. Othello scolded himself. I mustn’t let Iago’s manipulation draw me in.  
“I think so too.” Othello deadpanned. For the next few seconds, there was silence; neither Iago nor Othello said a word. Othello was too much on edge to see what Iago was possibly going to say next, and Iago himself was probably busy trying to cultivate his next response.  
“People should be what they seem.” He interjected suddenly, cutting into the silence. “If they’re not honest, then they should certainly not appear like they are!”  
Othello nodded. “Certainly, people should be what they seem.”  
“Well then, I think that Cassio’s an honest man.”

  
Othello pressed his lips together to stop a sigh from escaping. Iago’s repeated statements and questions [that were now so obviously attempts at manipulation] were starting to irritate him.  
“There’s more in this.” He maintained, forcing uncertainty into his voice. “Please, speak to me about your thoughts, and give your worst suspicions. Even the worst of words.”  
Iago looked reluctant. “My lord, pardon me. Though I’m bound to every act of duty, surely I’m not bound to utter my thoughts? What if they are vile and false?”  
Othello folded his arms. “You’re not being honest, Iago, if you think your friend has been wronged but you don’t even say anything about it.”  
Iago shifted from one foot to the other. “All I’m saying,” He said doubtfully. “Is to be careful.” He paused. “Beware, my lord, of jealousy. It’s the green-eyed monster that mocks the victims that it feeds on.”

  
Othello frowned, disconcerted. “Why? Why is this?” He demanded. “You think I’d make a life of jealousy? Follow up every hour with fresh suspicions? No! I might as well be a goat if I ever allowed myself to succumb to the kind of suspicions that you’re insinuating.”  
“I’m glad you say that.” Iago responded easily. “For now I have a reason to show the love and duties that I bear to you, with yet more honesty.”  
Othello stood up straight. “Is that so?” He asked.  
“Yes, my lord.” Iago insisted. He took a deep breath. “Your wife and Cassio were talking together just now, but yet Cassio left as soon as he saw you coming. He’s braver than that usually. It’s as if he was deliberately trying to make things look normal.” Iago elaborated. “All I’m saying is that I recommend you watch Desdemona when she’s with Cassio. Just watch. Don’t get too jealous or trustful.” He shrugged, his voice taking on a tone of dismissal. “I mean, she did deceive her father to marry you, so I suppose you could use that as partial evidence that she has the potential to be unfaithful…but take it as you will, you know?”  
Othello suppressed a growl of anger. Iago’s slandering of Desdemona right in front of him was getting difficult to bear. He huffed. Iago looked at him.  
“I see that this has moved you, my lord.”

  
In actual fact, Othello had made the sound in response to Iago’s lies out of annoyance directed at him, not because he was moved by what he’d said. Still, it was necessary that Iago be kept under the illusion that they were oblivious as to his plots, so it worked in his favour.  
“No, I’m not much moved.” Othello said truthfully. “But I would like for you to leave me alone now, Iago.”  
Iago nodded, looking sympathetic. “I’ll take my leave, my lord.” He said, before exiting.

Once Iago was out of sight and earshot, Othello collapsed onto a chair, breathing a sigh of pure relief, as if letting out all of the repressed vexation within him. It had been torture for him to hear Iago slandering Desdemona - every little prod, each and every suggestion of infidelity - had felt like a stab to his heart.  
What’s worse, was the fact that Iago unfortunately seemed quite accomplished in his manipulative techniques. Othello felt that he would have definitely been fooled by his subtle indications and hints and apparent “suspicions”. Thank goodness that Cassio had heard about Iago’s schemes and gave him the heads-up. Things would have turned out a right mess otherwise.

At the same time, however, Othello was in turmoil. Iago was quite clearly out to get him - and Cassio and Desdemona too. But the question that was lingering in his mind was why?  
Iago was possibly including Desdemona in all of this as part of getting to him - she was, after all, now married to Othello and was the most important person in his life. But that didn’t explain why Iago was targeting him, or Cassio, come to that. 

Had Othello had remained unaware to Iago’s schemes, he would have been using the temporary quiet to reflect on what Iago had said to him, perhaps even gaining increased doubt and suspicion towards his dear Desdemona in the process. However, Othello was instead contemplating why Iago was being so deluding.  
Obviously, something must have upset him. But what? Othello couldn’t think of anything that he’d done over the last month that would have put Iago into a state of distress. And what about Cassio? As far as Othello knew, his Lieutenant hadn’t done anything either. In fact, the last he checked, Cassio had regarded Iago as a friend [before his plots had come to light.] They both had. Right up until Cassio informed him of what he’d heard Iago say, Othello had viewed the latter as his loyal friend and Ensign, someone of exceptional honesty.

The only plausible reason Othello could think of at that moment was the fact that he’d married Desdemona. Perhaps Iago was jealous of his marriage to Desdemona? Maybe he was lusting after Desdemona, and that was why he was slandering her so, out of spite and unrequited love? 

Othello was startled out of his musings by Desdemona herself entering the room, along with Emilia. Both of them were looking slightly nervous, although Desdemona lit up when she spotted her husband. 

Othello beckoned them both over.

“My lord! Did anything happen?” Desdemona asked, rushing up to him and hugging him tightly.  
Othello nodded, returning the embrace just as enthusiastically whilst Emilia watched from a few feet away, a faint forlorn look etching her features. For a second, Othello felt sorry for Emilia, considering that she was the wife of Iago, the manipulator and cold-hearted husband. He never seemed to pay her much attention, and yet he got defensive whenever she so much as spoke to another man. Their relationship was controlling to say the least.  
Almost as abruptly, Othello’s thoughts shifted back to his own relationship as he gently let go of Desdemona. She was looking at him worriedly.  
“My lord, you haven’t said anything. Did something happen? What did Iago say?” She persisted.  
Othello didn’t particularly want to tell his wife about what Iago had suggested about her - but at the same time, he couldn’t keep anything from her, not when she was gazing at him so imploringly. She could win him over easily.

  
“He…well, he strongly implied that you were unfaithful.” Othello admitted, taking Desdemona’s hand. “With Cassio.”  
Desdemona’s mouth fell open. “What?!” She cried.  
Emilia’s eyes were blazing. “How could he even suggest such a thing?” She raged. “My lady is the most faithful of all women! What a profane, lying villain!”  
“The only problem is, we can’t really accuse Iago of anything without proof. We can’t really just go by what he’s said to us. The evidence would be rather circumstantial.” He let go of her hand to massage his forehead. He winced as he did so. “God, this business with Iago has given me a raging headache.”  
Desdemona pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket. Othello’s smile returned when he saw that it was the strawberry-spotted handkerchief that was his first gift to her.  
“Here, would you like me to wrap my handkerchief around your head?” She offered.  
Othello was touched by the gesture, but declined. “It’s probably too little.”

Meanwhile, Emilia was staring hard at the handkerchief in Desdemona’s hand.  
“You know, Iago has always asked me to steal your handkerchief ever since the two of you got together, my lady.” She said. “Perhaps if we were to spur Iago’s plots on with a little “evidence” for him to use, then we might be able to get to a point where we can call him out for deception a lot faster.”  
Othello and Desdemona glanced at each other, both of them silently asking the other what they thought of the suggestion and whether they would be okay with it. After briefly nodding towards each other, Desdemona hesitantly held out the handkerchief to Emilia.  
“Why do you think he’s always asked you to steal it?” She wondered.  
“I’m not sure, but I’d be willing to bet that he’s had the intentions of ruining your marriage.”  
Othello seethed. “Oh, that devil!”

  
Before he could say anything else potentially disparaging about Iago, the sound of trumpets from within began filling the air, echoing gently around the room.  
“That must be our call to supper.” Othello said. He held out an arm to Desdemona. “Come along, dear. I’ll accompany you.” He glanced at Emilia. “Stay around here until Iago comes along, if you’d please - if not, try and find him. Either way, present him with my wife’s handkerchief, and see what he does with it. If he doesn’t tell you, we’ll have to take it as read that he plans on using it as ammunition for his schemes.” With that, he and Desdemona walked out of the room, arm in arm, looking like the perfect, blessed couple that they were.


	7. Desdemona's Handkerchief.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia briefly reflects upon her marriage to Iago before the latter enters. She gives him the handkerchief in the hopes that it will increase the chances of getting evidence of Iago's plots.

Emilia hung back. She sat down in a chair and leaned back, sighing softly. She couldn’t believe all that she’d learned in the last few hours.

Having been Iago’s wife for almost a year, she knew him more than most people. Although he didn’t often confide in her about anything, she was used to his ways, enough to know that he had a habit of being cynical, suspicious of people, and generally a bit of a misogynist. Basically, she knew he wasn’t as honest as people thought - but at the same time, Emilia didn’t think Iago was this bad, stooping so low as to try and ruin the marriage of his general, to pour slander on her sweet mistress who was the most innocent lady who had ever lived. She was curious of what his motives might be, but she knew that there was no way Iago would ever reveal them to her. As a matter of fact, Iago rarely revealed anything to her. His current plots may well have been motiveless for all she knew.

She just wished that Iago would contribute a bit more to their relationship, emotionally. He only ever seemed to give her affection when they were in public, probably to keep up his positive reputation that he had amongst most people. But when they were alone, he was harsh and cold, distant and scornful. He wasn’t like a true husband at all, and Emilia often found herself wondering why on earth she’d married him in the first place.

Just then, Iago walked into the room, chuckling to himself about something or other. His laughter faded when he caught sight of Emilia sitting there, however, and he regarded her with a curious yet irritated expression.  
“What are you doing here?” He asked sharply.  
“Don’t chide me.” Emilia responded. “I have something for you.” She added casually.  
Iago arched his eyebrows. He looked disdainful. “Do you? I’m sure it’s a common thing.” He said dismissively.

  
Emilia folded her arms indignantly. “What would you say for the handkerchief?”  
Iago looked baffled. Emilia couldn’t tell whether it was on purpose or genuine.  
“What handkerchief?”  
“What handkerchief?” Emilia repeated in amazement. “Why, the one that you’re always asking me to steal. My lady’s handkerchief.” She held it out as she spoke, exposing the intricate white lace trim and the dotted strawberry pattern. It felt soft, looked beautiful.

  
“Ahh.” Iago said, catching on. “You’re obedient wife. Give it here, then.”  
Emilia faked a look of reluctance. “Why? What are you going to use it for?”  
“What’s that to you, hmm?” Iago replied, tapping his nose.  
“Well, if you don’t have much use for it, then I should give it back to my lady…”  
“Does it matter to you what use I might have for it? No. Now pass it here and leave me.”

  
Emilia mutely did as she was told, placing the handkerchief before Iago and getting up to leave the room as requested, casting a doubtful look behind her for effect as she did so.

 _So far, so good._ Emilia thought as she went. _My husband hasn’t suspected a thing._


	8. Finding Desdemona's Handkerchief.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassio finds Desdemona's handkerchief in his lodgings and wonders how on earth it got there and who it belongs to.  
> He resolves to find Desdemona or Emilia to ask them about the handkerchief - in the hopes that they might also have a positive update on Iago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We never really see Cassio's reaction upon finding the handkerchief in the play itself, but I thought that it would be quite nice to add to this story. Hopefully it works. (:

Later on that day, Cassio walked into his lodgings, breathing a sigh of relief. The day had been rather tiresome, what with him having to try and avoid Othello whenever Iago was in sight as well as having to put up an act of ignorance around the latter to prevent making him suspicious. He just couldn’t wait until they could properly prove Iago guilty.

  
As he entered the room, his eyes immediately focused on some random handkerchief lying atop of his bedside table, the white lace a significant contrast from the mahogany wood of the table. Almost as if it was purposefully placed there to make it stand out to him. Cassio walked over to it, picked it up, and carefully examined it. The pattern and the handkerchief itself was quite pretty - better than most handkerchiefs he’d seen in his lifetime - but he was bewildered as to how it had turned up in his lodgings in the first place. There was a chance that he’d forgotten to close his door earlier on, so perhaps someone entered the house and put it there - but didn’t seem as though anyone had properly broken in and robbed him of anything, which was something he would have expected, because why would anyone go through the effort of getting into someone’s lodgings simply to place a handkerchief in there and not take advantage of the situation in the process?

That led Cassio to wonder if it was some kind of trap or dangerous object. He held it between his thumb and forefinger warily, as if he expected it to have a mind of its own and start strangling him any minute. Of course, it didn’t - it was a handkerchief and remained a handkerchief even after several seconds of Cassio staring at it as he scrutinised it.

After it was established that it was, in fact, nothing other than a simple handkerchief, Cassio began to wonder who it belonged to. He didn’t think that he knew anybody who owned a handkerchief as delicate as the one in his hand, but that just made things appear even more confusing than they already were. It meant that not only had someone entered his house solely for the purpose of placing a handkerchief in there, that someone was likely to have been a total _stranger_. The thought sent chills down Cassio’s spine and he resolved from that point onward to always check and double-check that his lodgings were secure.

Still, this didn’t alter the fact that the handkerchief really did look divine.   
Of course, Cassio liked to think that he was someone with strong integrity - and that meant that he’d need to try and find the person to which the handkerchief belonged. 

Realistically, it was bound to belong to a woman. After all, Cassio couldn’t rightly say that he’d seen many men wandering around with handkerchiefs in their pockets, hands, or anything. And those that did happen to have one in their possession, tended to have dull, rather plain-looking ones.

Again, Cassio admired the handkerchief. Even the shape of it was exquisite, the edges sporting neat, wavy curves instead of boring straight lines. The lace and the pattern felt softer than the fur on a cat, almost like a pillow. Had it been big enough, he didn’t doubt that he’d probably be able to treat it like a genuine pillow by falling asleep on it.

Perhaps he could ask someone to copy the embroidery for him before he tried to find its rightful owner. After all, it was the prettiest handkerchief he’d ever set his eyes upon. It was like a rare treasure that he wanted to somehow remember forever. 

_But who do I ask? How many people do I know that are skilled in that profession?_ Cassio asked himself. 

Well, obviously there was Bianca. He knew that she was skilled in needle-work, but in all honesty, he didn’t really feel like entreating her for a favour at that precise moment in time. She would probably only get jealous and assume that it was a token from another lover, and anyway, Cassio hadn’t seen Bianca for a good few days now, and he wanted to keep it that way. Despite what she thought, he didn’t like her in that way.

There was Desdemona or Emilia. Cassio wasn’t sure if either of them knew how to copy a handkerchief, but they were both quite talented, so there was always a possibility. Plus, Cassio hadn’t seen either of them or Othello since that morning, and he was eager to hear about any updates about Iago…preferably something along the lines of Iago having been caught and captured for his attempt at crime, which would allow them to drop the act and return to their "normal" lives, respectively.

 _That’s what I’ll do._ Cassio decided. He turned round and walked back over to his door, his exhaustion from a few minutes ago more or less forgotten.


	9. An Alleged Erotic Dream.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iago continues to try and manipulate Othello into thinking that Desdemona's unfaithful.  
> He describes Cassio's "erotic dream" and mentions the handkerchief to convince him...but maybe he implicitly gives away a bit more than he intended to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're enjoying this so far. (:  
> Rather than posting it on Monday, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow, as it's the weekend.

_"Give me one good reason to think that Desdemona’s cheating on me, Iago.”_

_“I don’t like what you’re asking me to do, my lord. But, since I have allowed myself to become involved thus far, I’ll let you know my reasoning. Recently, I shared a bed with Cassio - under completely normal circumstances, you know? Anyway, I had remained awake most of that night thanks to a hideous toothache that was plaguing me the entire time. Cassio himself fell asleep pretty much straight away. Now, there are people out there who talk in their sleep - some quietly; some with heaps of passion. Cassio is one of the latter. Whilst I was lying next to him, he suddenly turned over and pulled me into the most impassioned embrace you can imagine, without warning. I barely had any time to react before he then proceeded to kiss me rather quite hard. It was almost a struggle to breathe with how intense it was. Of course, I thought that perhaps he was dreaming about that lady whom seems quite smitten with him - that courtesan Bianca, I believe her name is. But alas, it was not her. It was, in fact, Desdemona whom Cassio seemed to be dreaming so fiercely about, for I then heard him murmur: ‘Oh, gentle Desdemona. Let us conceal our love.’ But that wasn’t even all of it. Next - don’t get too angry about this, general - but next, Cassio slung his thigh over mine and continued to mumble rapturously: ‘Oh, cursed fate for giving you to the general! Your beauty and complexion is by far no match for him.’ Of course, I slid out of bed as quickly as I could - I didn’t want to get caught up in Cassio’s sexual desires, even if it was just a dream. What? Oh come on, sir, don’t look at me like that - I am by no means a man possessing homosexual desires-- Oh, you’re giving me that look because of the dream that Cassio had? Right._   
_Well, this was only a dream, general. Perhaps it’s some kind of erotic fantasy on Cassio’s part, who knows?”_

_[…]_

_“Now, now, be reasonable. This is a reason for suspicion, I grant you, but this was but a dream. Look, I know this evidence is only circumstantial, but perhaps this next bit of evidence might shed a bit more light onto this situation. Have you ever seen your wife holding an intricately-patterned handkerchief with spotted strawberries on it?”_

_[…]_

_“Oh, that was your first gift to her, was it? Well, I saw that exact handkerchief in Cassio’s possession today. He used it to wipe his beard with if I recall correctly. There’s no guarantees that it belongs to your wife - but if it does, then this evidence is pretty strong.”_

_[…]_

_“I see you’re very moved by this, general. Do you want to get revenge?”_

_[…]_

_“I thought so. Do not rise yet, general. I’d like to swear to God with you, to show you my devotion to you as your loyal and trustworthy Ensign.”_

_[…]_

_“I’ll do anything to help you get your revenge, my lord-- No, no, I want to. It’s your turmoil, and yet it feels more like my own. I'm doing it because I love you, my lord._ _I am yours forever.”_


	10. I Haven't Figured Out a Name for this One Yet.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Othello informs Desdemona and Emilia about what happened with Iago.  
> Cassio comes in and Othello explains to him what Iago said. The four of them wonder how Iago could make up such an erotic dream.  
> Cassio asks about the handkerchief, and it's revealed to him that it belongs to Desdemona, that Iago had put it in his lodgings to frame him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to anyone who reads this! I hope you're still enjoying it.

Othello, Desdemona and Emilia were sat in the Citadel. All three looked disconcerted.  
Othello had just filled the other two in on a bit of what Iago had said during their last encounter some minutes ago. Both Desdemona and Emilia were stunned upon hearing the extent of Iago’s descriptions about laying in bed with Cassio. It may not have been true, but the vivid descriptions of his alleged “actions” were rather unsettling.  
“Who knew Iago could picture like that?” Desdemona murmured, still shocked to the point of near-silence.  
“I always knew that Iago wasn’t as honest as he seemed,” Emilia added. “But lying about that? And describing it all in detail? It’s villainous - but something seems _odd._ ”  
Othello nodded. “You’re right.” He agreed. “Iago did act a little weird at one point - he mentioned something about not having homosexual desires. But honestly, I didn’t pay much attention - I was too astonished at his imagery.”

  
Desdemona shuddered and reached for her husband’s hand, gripping it tightly. “How unsettling that must have been.” She said sympathetically. Her expression grew sorrowful. “But at the same time, I can’t believe that Iago has the nerve to try and accuse me of infidelity! Surely he knows that I’d never ever do something like that to you.”  
Othello smiled warmly at her. “I’m sure he does, dear.” He said. “As evil as Iago’s being right now, I have to admit that he’s not stupid…not really.”  
“He’s certainly a master manipulator.” Emilia interjected with a sniff.

Suddenly, the door to the Citadel creaked open, abruptly shushing Emilia. The three of them were startled, thinking that the sudden presence was Iago - but thankfully, it was just Cassio, looking tentative. He glanced around, allowing the door to shut behind him with a resounding _bang_ , before skulking over to the others, breathing a sigh of relief.  
“Thank goodness for that.” He shook his head. “It’s ridiculous how on edge I’ve been just lately - I’m so worried about Iago seeing me and getting the idea that something’s amiss. Speaking of whom…” Cassio’s voice turned into a whisper. “Any updates on him…?”

An awkward expression briefly flickered across Othello’s face. Desdemona and Emilia developed a sudden, urgent interest in their hands, raising their fingernails up for inspection. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that they didn’t want to say anything.  
“What happened? Are there any updates?” Cassio repeated, starting to worry. _What if Iago’s managed to convince them that he’s innocent? What if he lays the blame on me?_  
Before Cassio could have any more vexing thoughts, Othello cleared his throat. He still maintained an awkward expression though, as if he’d just heard something disturbing.

Silence fell once again. It stretched out over several seconds as Cassio stood, peering at Othello, Desdemona, and Emilia, attempting to figure out what the problem was. He waited for one of them to start speaking.

Finally, after what felt like minutes of silence [but in reality was only seconds], Othello cleared his throat. Again. 

Cassio looked at him expectantly. He sighed.

“Basically, Iago continued to inform me of circumstantial “evidence” towards the idea that you and Desdemona were having an affair.” Othello began. He sounded hesitant as he continued. “And…well, he began telling me about an alleged dream you had when you slept with him lately.”  
Cassio frowned and shook his head. “I’ve never slept with Iago in my life.”  
Othello offered an awkward shrug. “Well, we already know Iago’s been lying - I’m willing to bet that this is a lie too. Anyway…” He continued. “He described it…in a bit of an astonishing way. First, he claimed that you were giving him a strong embrace. Then…” Othello paused, his expression one of extreme discomfort.  
Cassio watched his general’s face, getting increasingly concerned by his reaction. “Othello…please tell me what Iago said about me.” Cassio requested.  
Othello bit his lip. “Well…he proceeded to say that you gave him quite a fierce kiss before slinging your thigh over his. All whilst murmuring about your love for Desdemona.” He finished, a faint sense of his initial astonishment returning.

Cassio’s eyes widened. He looked astounded. He didn’t say a word - just opened and closed his mouth, obviously trying to speak but with no sound coming out whatsoever. He’d never thought that _Iago_ would be able to fantasise something as erotic as that.

Once he finally regained his speech, he was still showing hints of extreme surprise.  
“Iago said _that?_ I-I swear I’ve never done that to him ever! I wouldn’t!” Cassio spluttered. “Much less would I ever dream about doing that to Desdemona. It’s absurd.”  
Othello placed a hand upon his shoulder reassuringly. “I know. It’s yet another lie to try and draw us into his trap. Thank heavens you told us about this - I have a horrible feeling that Iago would have succeeded in manipulating me if I’d remained oblivious.”

“You’re welcome.” Cassio responded, still vaguely astonished. Never had he thought that Iago would be able to come up with descriptions such as that. Even though he knew for a fact that the information was false, just _thinking_ about it made Cassio go hot with embarrassment.

“Oh, by the way, I came here for another reason.” Cassio added, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket. “Can any of you copy this? It’s a pretty pattern and I know that it needs to be returned to the person that it belongs to pretty soon.”  
As soon as Cassio brought the handkerchief out into the open, Desdemona’s eyes lit up in recognition. She looked relieved, but confused as to what Cassio was doing with her handkerchief.

“Hey! That’s mine!” Desdemona exclaimed, pointing to her precious handkerchief.  
Cassio blinked. “It is?”  
Desdemona nodded. “What on earth are you doing with it?” She demanded, confused.  
“It in my lodgings.” He insisted, handing it back to her. “I swear to you I didn’t steal it-”  
Othello coughed. “Iago.” He simply said. “I forgot to mention this, but Iago told me about how he saw you with the handkerchief earlier on in an attempt to provide more evidence for his plots. He must have planted it in your lodgings. He attempted to frame you.”  
Cassio raised his hands in a questioning gesture. “Why?”  
Othello sighed. “Who knows? I’ve been trying to figure out his motives for the last little while, but I just can’t think of any plausible ones.”  
Cassio echoed Othello’s sigh. He definitely wanted to know Iago’s reasoning for suddenly going against him, getting him drunk, trying to frame him - he wanted straightforward answers for why he’d suddenly done all of this. As far as Cassio had been aware, he hadn’t done anything wrong - unless he’d inadvertently done something to irritate the Ensign.

Cassio was still contemplating when he suddenly received a shoulder-tap from Emilia.  
She gestured ahead of them. “My husband’s coming - you’d better leave before he sees.”  
“Oops.” Cassio murmured, nodding. “I’ll be back later - please keep me updated.”  
Othello nodded before Cassio scurried off in a completely different direction. Meanwhile, Iago continued walking towards the remaining three of them - as he got closer, Othello urgently hissed to Desdemona and Emilia: “We’ve got to pretend that we’re at odd ends with each other - Iago thinks that he’s made me suspicious of you, so we can’t give him any reason to think otherwise! Don’t worry, this will just be an act.”  
Desdemona and Emilia nodded quickly, just as Iago drew up next to them, apparently not having noticed Cassio’s presence beforehand. 

“General.” Iago greeted him, throwing a questioning look between him and Desdemona.  
Othello swiftly shot a glare at his wife, whom immediately occupied a worried expression, all whilst Emilia looked on sympathetically - to really push the idea that Othello had just interrogated Desdemona about her “lost” handkerchief.  
“Iago. Hello.” Othello responded stiffly, trying to sound tense.  
“Lodovico has just arrived from Venice, sir.” Iago informed him. “He’s got letters, presumably from the Duke. It would be best for you to come and greet him.”  
Othello nodded. “Okay, let’s go and do that, then.” He gave Desdemona a hard look. “He’s your cousin. I suggest you come along too.”   
Desdemona nodded anxiously. She murmured to Emilia to go and get something for her, before beginning to make her way towards the harbour.

Othello made a show of hanging back with Iago, the latter of which looking on with a sympathetic look. Although it wasn’t noticeable to the untrained eye, _his_ eyes were definitely sparkling with mischief.  
“So, did she admit to anything? Did she tell you what she did with her handkerchief?”  
Othello blinked, startled out of his train of thought as Iago looked at him curiously.  
“Yeah…yeah, she did.” Othello muttered. “She admitted that she lost it.”  
Iago tutted. “But did she admit to giving it to Cassio?”  
Othello shook his head, not trusting himself to say anymore, lest he blow his cover.  
Iago shook his head. “That’s a shame. It sounds to me like she’s trying to hide her infidelity from you. And Cassio, can you believe that he keeps sneaking around with your wife behind your back? Surely that warrants some kind of punishment.”  
Othello frowned. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, it does. Um…what?” He realised that he sounded hesitant. “Sorry, I’m not thinking straight after learning about their foul actions.”

“You should smother her in her bed. The bed she has contaminated.” Iago suggested.  
Othello stared at Iago, shocked. Was he really stooping _this_ low?  
“Right…” He agreed with a hint of unease. He nodded more firmly. “Good idea. I’ll stifle her infidelity, the- the fair whore. And what about Cassio?”  
Iago shrugged. “I can sort him out for you. To me, my friend is dead.” He said casually.  
Othello nodded again, this time more warily. What did Iago mean by “sorting out” Cassio? Hopefully his agreement hadn’t just put Cassio in danger. Othello made a mental note to warn his lieutenant at his earliest possible convenience.  
After all, judging by Iago’s recent actions, it had been proven that he was unpredictable.


	11. Letters from Venice.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lodovico arrives from Venice to inform Othello about a brief return to Venice with his lieutenant.  
> For Iago's benefit, Othello and Desdemona both act accordingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive my terrible chapter titles - I'm getting little inspiration for suitable titles just now.
> 
> So, Othello doesn't actually hit Desdemona in this one because it wouldn't really fit with the situation, if that makes any sense...  
> Also the request in the letter is kinda different to what it was originally...I don't know, I guess I liked it better this way?

Desdemona watched as Othello strode into the room, Iago next to him, looking completely composed; his face not betraying any hints of what might have just been said between him and Othello just now. Her husband didn’t look at her as he walked in. Even though Desdemona knew it was so that he could keep up the pretence, it still made her faintly uncomfortable. The idea of Othello suspecting her of adultery was too horrible to bear.

“Greetings, general!” Lodovico announced from beside Desdemona. Othello approached him, returning the greetings as Lodovico handed him the letter that he’d been holding. As Othello turned away to read it and Iago walked over to them, Desdemona decided to ask what the news was - she was curious and she wanted to avoid having to speak to Iago if possible. She was still in awe about his deceit and plotting.

“So what’s new, cousin Lodovico?” She asked.  
“State affairs with Venice, good cousin. I believe the Duke wants to call Othello back.” Lodovico told her. He turned to Iago. “How are you, Ensign?”  
“I’m perfectly well, thank you, sir.” Iago responded.  
“And how is lieutenant Cassio?”  
Desdemona paused, wondering what she should say without making Iago suspicious. Luckily, Iago responded instead.  
“Well. He’s alive, sir.”

Desdemona noticed out of the corner of her eye that Iago was watching her. He looked faintly confused. She wasn’t sure why he was looking at her like that, until she thought…  
 _Oh, that’s right! I’m supposed to be vouching for Cassio, aren’t I? I suppose this would be an opportunity to bring it up. Erm…what should I say?_

After thinking carefully for a few seconds, Desdemona piped up.  
“Cousin, there’s been a terrible falling-out between my lord and Cassio. A most unfortunate rift.” She made herself appear to perk up. “But you can help.”  
Lodovico frowned, concerned. “There’s a division between Othello and Cassio?”  
Desdemona nodded. “A very unhappy one. I’d do anything to bring them back together, for I really do care.”

Othello looked over at them, frowning. “Damn it all!” He snapped.  
Desdemona prayed that he was acting. She feigned a shocked look. “Are you angry?”  
Lodovico looked confused. “Perhaps the letter upset him.” He suggested. “I believe the letter mentioned something about Othello returning to Venice, taking his lieutenant with him. I’m guessing that this would mean Othello would have to work out his differences with Cassio; possible even reinstate him on the instant to satisfy the Duke’s needs.”  
Desdemona forced herself to smile enthusiastically. “Oh, I’m so happy to hear that!”  
 _That’s how I should be reacting, right?_

  
“Oh, are you really?” Othello demanded, glaring at her.  
Desdemona looked anxious. “My lord?”  
Othello walked over to them, his arms folded, frowning all over his face. “Good to know that you’re insane enough to admit that in front of me.”  
“Admit what, my lord?” Desdemona asked, stuttering slightly.  
Othello’s glare deepened. “You devil!” He spat. He pointed to the door. “Out of my sight!”

Desdemona was shocked. She stared at Othello with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open. She had no idea what to say. As she looked into Othello’s face, she began to wonder if he was still acting or not. He looked _genuinely_ enraged. He looked like he hated her.

Desdemona felt scared and uncertain - when suddenly, Othello gave her a private wink.  
She breathed out in relief. _He’s still acting._ She thought thankfully. _Oops! Which means I need to as well._  
Desdemona bent her head and began shuffling awkwardly out of the room, whilst Lodovico looked on in shock; Iago looked on knowingly.  
Othello pretended to still be furious, but didn’t say anymore.


	12. Deceived in the Wrong Person.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lodovico is amazed by Othello's show of rage towards his wife, and questions Iago about it when Othello leaves.  
> Iago responds vaguely, and Lodovico apologises for being "deceived in him" [IV.I of the original play]  
> Of course, Lodovico is wrong about someone...and it's not Othello.
> 
> Afterwards, Iago goes to Roderigo and informs him of the plan to kill Cassio.

Iago watched with silent contempt and delight as Desdemona trailed out of the room, Othello glaring after her as if she was one of the Turks whom had threatened Cyprus. His plan was working well.

Meanwhile, Lodovico stared at Othello in amazement. “My lord, why on earth did you snap at her? She’s truly an obedient lady. Why don’t you make amends with her?”  
Othello turned on Lodovico. “She’s a devil.” He said shortly. “She could cry all day and night, and I still wouldn’t believe her antics. Now then,” he continued. “I shall obey the request and return to Venice with Cassio - and tonight, I invite you to have supper with me.” He saluted. “You’re welcome to Cyprus.” Then he stomped away.

Lodovico stared after him in astonishment before turning to Iago. “Is this the noble guy whom Venice deems extremely sufficient? The one who’s never supposed to get emotional or rattled, no matter what the situation?”  
“He’s changed a lot, sir.” Iago responded with a sigh.  
Lodovico shook his head in disbelief. “Is he insane? Has he lost his mind?”  
“He is what he appears to be.” Iago said simply. “I refuse to speak any words against him.”  
“But he hit lashed out at his wife? Does this happen often, or was this the first time?”  
“Oh, dear goodness. I don’t think it’s right for me to reveal everything that I’ve seen and heard him do. You’ll be having supper with him tonight - judge him for yourself.”  
Lodovico sighed as they began leaving the Citadel. “I’m sorry I was so wrong about him.”

_Oh, you have no idea how wrong you really are about him. He’s become victim to my plots very swiftly - it’s almost surprising how easy it is to manipulate him. And soon, all of the chaos will run its course - all thanks to how easily manipulated Othello and everyone else is. Iago thought gleefully._

  
Almost half an hour later, Iago was walking along the streets of Cyprus, seeking out Roderigo’s lodgings. He hadn’t seen Roderigo since that morning when the latter came in, complaining about the circumstances. Truthfully, he hadn’t seen a need to visit Roderigo, because there was nothing that he needed to manipulate him into doing.

However, as the next steps of Iago’s plan began to bloom, there was suddenly a task that he wanted Roderigo to undertake for him: killing Cassio. After all, he had as good as said to Othello that he would see to the “dealing with” of Cassio - and surely it was obvious that it meant he was going to kill Cassio. Othello wanted Desdemona dead, so there was no reason why he wouldn’t want Cassio dead too; besides, Othello had already expressed agreement to Iago’s vow to deal with Cassio. What more was he expecting than killing?

Once Iago arrived on the doorstep, he rapped on the door and waited for Roderigo to answer. After a few seconds, the formerly rich man came to the door, curious. When he caught sight of Iago standing there, he squinted at him in surprise.  
“Oh, hello Iago. It’s been a good few hours.” He commented. “What brings you here?”

Iago smiled at Roderigo. It was time for a bit of improvisation. “Well, I’ve just heard that Venice has requested that Cassio be put in charge of Cyprus.”  
Roderigo frowned. “Okay…so?”  
Iago discreetly rolled his eyes. Trust Roderigo to miss the obvious. “Which means Othello and _Desdemona_ will be leaving this island.”  
“Oh. Oh yes.” Roderigo said, nodding. He seemed to have finally connected the dots. “Which means they’ll return to Venice! Um, thank goodness-”  
“Oh no.” Iago interrupted him. “They’re heading off to Mauritania.”  
“Oh.” Roderigo initially didn’t sound too bothered, probably because it was taking forever for him to follow. Then: “Oh no!” He exclaimed, sounding more dismayed.  
Iago nodded. “The only way to extend their stay would be to give Othello a reason to stay.”  
“Such as?” Roderigo asked.  
“Simple. By getting rid of Cassio.”  
There was a beat. Roderigo stared at Iago before murmuring. “What do you mean by that?”  
Iago resisted the urge to kick Roderigo for his stupidity. “I mean _killing him_.”  
“And that’s what you want me to do?!”  
“Yes.” Iago said firmly. “I know for a fact that he’s out and about right this minute, and intends to start going home at around 11:00pm. I know the route he goes - so all you have to do is ambush him and stab him to his death. I’ll provide you with a sword.”  
Roderigo shook his head at Iago hesitantly. “What are your reasons for this?”  
Iago smiled sardonically. “I’ll give you the most satisfying reasons. Now let’s go, for the night is carrying on. I’ll tell you everything, and when I am done, you shall be satisfied with my reasoning; at 11:00pm on the dot, it will be time for you to strike.”


	13. Brief Musings.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassio briefly muses over Iago's actions on his way home.
> 
> He can't help but feel unsettled, like he was being watched, even though nobody's around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit of a short one, but the subsequent chapter is a lot longer - probably the longest one, actually.

Later on that evening, Cassio was walking home after spending a couple of hours alone on the shore. 

The air was light and breezy; the sky was patterned with hundreds of shining stars, the moon radiating a shining light in the middle of them all. The landscape was extremely picturesque, and it made up the perfect atmosphere for spending the evening at the shore.

The entire time, Cassio had been staring out over the sea, listening to the gentle whoosh of the waves as the tide gently drew out, the sky illuminated beautifully on its surface.

He’d been left to his own contemplations. All of them regarding Iago.  
The Ensign that they’d all known had quite obviously changed, in what seemed such a short period of time - but the greater question was why this had all come about. There had to be some motives in there. Surely Iago wasn’t just purely evil? Even though Iago’s true deceptive nature had come to light, Cassio just couldn’t believe that of Iago. 

A second wave of reflective musings came almost as quickly. What were Iago’s motives? What had he done to make Iago go against him? Similarly, what had _Othello_ done? Most importantly, why didn’t Iago just say if something had offended him so greatly? Why did he decide to keep quiet about it and cause a mass of chaos and treachery instead? It made no sense - and it was potentially a more complicated and risky route, too.

Cassio sighed deeply as his thoughts focused back on the present. He wasn’t too far away from his lodgings now, which was good. For some reason, he was feeling rather unsettled - as if he was being watched, or someone was hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike.  
He shook himself, brushing the thought off as being preposterous.

_I really hope that Iago can be stopped soon. And when he is, perhaps he’ll divulge his reasoning for doing all of this…or trying to, at least. I really want to know what made him so unhappy to begin with. Then perhaps we can all make amends to this._


	14. Acting Upon Impulse.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iago instructs Roderigo to hide round the back of a nearby pillar to await Cassio's arrival. He himself hides in an alleyway, both out of sight and earshot.
> 
> Roderigo doesn't even try to stab Cassio. Instead, he takes him to one side, and a certain conversation is had, not unlike one where characters admit their love for each other. [Spoilers!]
> 
> Someone comes along and stabs Cassio in the leg. They both suspect it to be Iago.  
> Lodovico and Gratiano come along before Iago turns up, and when the latter accuses Roderigo of the crime, they're both convinced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This chapter contains very mild violence. [There's no blood or gore]*
> 
> So maybe Roderigo and Cassio are a bit out of character here, but oh well.

Meanwhile, Roderigo was hiding round the back of a nearby pillar. Iago was lurking in an alleyway that was several feet away - Roderigo just prayed that he was out of earshot.

As they had walked over there, Iago had instructed Roderigo on exactly what he wanted him to do. Which was to spot Cassio, ambush him, and stab him with the sword.  
Roderigo shuddered at the thought. For a start, he’d had no experience with fighting - he wasn’t a soldier like Iago and Cassio were. He barely had any knowledge of how to accurately hold a sword. Iago had had to quickly coach him beforehand.

But the other reason was that Roderigo knew that Iago was being deceptive. Othello and Desdemona probably weren’t going to be moving away to Mauritania. Both Venice and Cyprus needed the protection of the general too much for Othello to move that far. By the same token, he also doubted that Cassio was going to be deputed in Othello’s place. Admittedly, Roderigo wasn’t the brightest of people - even he was willing to admit that - but he knew that there was a specific process that had to be held before anyone could take the place of a previous governor in _any_ state. He’d heard that it had been the same for when Othello was due to replace Montano as the governor of Cyprus.

Besides, why would Roderigo want to kill Cassio now? The lieutenant had been very generous by going after him and informing him of Iago’s true nature. He had, in effect, prevented Roderigo from continuing to be used as Iago’s puppet. Maybe he’d even saved his life. Iago was now so unpredictable - he’d been willing to kill Cassio, and Roderigo didn’t doubt that Iago would kill him if he was given half the chance.

Suddenly, Roderigo was startled out of his musings as he heard familiar footsteps approaching. He knew that gait: it was Cassio.

Instantly, Roderigo leapt out from his hiding place, brandishing the sword in the air and forcing Cassio to take several steps backward in surprise. Roderigo followed him back, and once he was fairly sure that they were both out of sight and hearing range of where Iago lingered, he dropped the sword onto the floor, his heart beating fast.

Cassio was staring at Roderigo, astounded. “Roderigo, what are you _doing?”_  
“Shh!” Roderigo hissed, putting a finger to his lips and gesturing out into the night. “Iago’s hidden in an alleyway somewhere, we can’t let him know that I’m not following through with his requests. We need to speak _quietly_.”

Upon hearing Iago’s name, Cassio seemed to immediately understand. He nodded seriously. “What’s going on, Roderigo?” He whispered.  
“Iago wanted to try and get me to kill you.” Roderigo murmured.  
Cassio’s eyes widened in shock. He turned pale. “What? Why?”  
Roderigo sighed. “He gave me a few ‘reasons’. He claimed that you were having an affair with Desdemona and were therefore a threat to me. He also said that Othello and Desdemona were going to move to Mauritania, appointing you in his place.”  
Cassio shook his head. “That’s not how it works. It’s not as easy as that.” He explained.  
Roderigo nodded. “I know. I didn’t believe him from the start.” He clarified. “See, he still thinks that I’m in love with Desdemona - so he thinks that I’m seeing this as the only way to get Desdemona to stay in Cyprus. To give me a chance to get with her.” He admitted.  
“Ohhh.” Cassio nodded in understanding, albeit a little awkwardly. “So…do you still…?”  
Roderigo shook his head insistently. “No.” He said. “I…actually like someone else.”  
“Really? Who?”  
“I-I…promise you won’t tell anyone, b-but…it’s you.”

Cassio fell silent. Roderigo shifted awkwardly, suddenly wishing he hadn’t said anything. He squinted, but couldn’t make out Cassio’s expression in the dim light of the night.

“…I didn’t know you liked men in that way, Roderigo.” He said eventually.  
Roderigo shrugged. “I guess I’ve always been into both genders…” He admitted. “But now…I guess I’ve just turned completely gay. I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said anything. You can go ahead and despise me--”  
“No, no.” Cassio interrupted him. “I don’t despise you. I’m just…surprised, I guess.”  
Roderigo chuckled tentatively. “I don’t blame you. I mean, I wouldn’t even expect you to like me back in that way anyway. After all, we’ve only known each other for about six months. And besides, I’m basically a nobody and a bit of an idiot.”  
“No, you’re not. Of course you’re not.” Cassio said firmly. He paused. “So…what would you say if I told you that I’m also gay?”

Roderigo’s eyes widened in shock. “ _Are you?”_  
Cassio laughed reproachfully. “Yes. But nobody else actually knows. I suppose they wouldn’t expect someone like me to be gay, but oh well.” He paused again. “So, with that being said…would you…would you _like_ to give us a go?”  
Roderigo blinked, wondering if this was all some kind of elaborate prank or not. “Are you…are you being genuine? No joke?”  
Cassio smiled, though it probably wasn’t very visible in the dim. “Yes. No joke.”   
Roderigo could hear the sincerity in his voice. “That’s- that’s great. Thank you…”

For a second, Roderigo completely forgot about Iago and his deception and his treachery. He forgot that Iago was only in an alleyway, not too far away. All he could focus on was the very shocking [but brilliant] thing that had just happened. He was secretly thrilled.

However, the joy was short-lived. All of a sudden, Roderigo became vaguely aware of somebody else’s presence. He couldn’t see anyone - his eyes still hadn’t completely adjusted to the dark - but he could have sworn that he was hearing footsteps approaching.

Before Roderigo had the chance to look around to try and figure his senses out, he heard Cassio scream out in pain. Roderigo gasped - what had just happened?

Roderigo cursed the fact that he didn’t have a lantern on hand - obviously something terrible had just happened to Cassio, and there was a very good chance that both he and Roderigo were in danger.  
Mercifully, Roderigo spotted an abandoned lantern at the side of the street. It wasn’t particularly bright, but the light was bright enough that it made Roderigo capable of seeing everything properly. He raced over to it, grabbed it, and sprinted back over to Cassio without a moment’s hesitation.

Roderigo brought the lantern up in front of his face - and gave a huge gasp when he saw that Cassio was lying on the floor, still crying out in agony. 

His left leg had been slashed.

“Oh my God!” Roderigo almost shrieked. “Who did this? What happened? Did you see?”  
Cassio seemed to be finding it difficult to get his words out. “No.” He gasped.  
Roderigo scanned the now dark and eerie streets intently, his eyes peeled for any possible perpetrators. His breath hitched when he spotted Iago slinking away back down the alleyway. He knew it was him because he also held a lantern - and it illuminated his face perfectly.

“It was Iago!” Roderigo groaned. He bent down next to Cassio. “What can I do?”  
“I don’t know- it’s dangerous out here, I don’t want you going off alone-”  
Cassio cut himself off as he cried out in pain again.  
Roderigo didn’t know what to do - Cassio was right, the situation was dangerous and either one of them could get hurt [even more so in Cassio’s case] but he couldn’t just leave it. 

The only thing Roderigo could thing to do was whip off his jacket and use it to temporarily bind Cassio’s bleeding leg. [The air had turned bitingly cold by this time, but Roderigo didn’t care in the slightest.] The lieutenant smiled gratefully at him despite his condition.

Just then, Roderigo heard what sounded like two people approaching, accompanied by a voice - one of pure confusion and concern. It made Roderigo almost jump out of his skin.  
“Who’s there? What’s going on?” The voice called.  
“Something must be wrong - that cry sounded panicked.” Another voice observed.

Roderigo held up the lantern to his face so that he could show his identity. He then walked cautiously over to the two other figures, holding out the lantern to see who they were.  
He sighed in relief as he recognised Gratiano from Venice - and the guy with him was probably his son, Lodovico. 

“Roderigo?” Gratiano said, sounding confused. “Are you alright? Who made that cry?”  
Roderigo gestured desperately over to Cassio, whom was now attempting to suppress his groans of agony. Holding the lantern towards him so that the other two could see the horrible situation that had befallen, Roderigo saw both men gasp.

“Lieutenant Cassio? What on earth happened?” Lodovico asked, kneeling next to him.  
“I-I don’t know.” Cassio stuttered. “Everything was fine one minute, even Roderigo can tell you - then suddenly, someone attacked me from behind and stabbed my leg.”  
“Oh, God forbid. Lodovico, come with me. We’ll go find you a surgeon, lieutenant.” Gratiano told him.

Before the two of them could make a move, Iago entered at a run, holding a brightly lit lantern. His expression was one of bewilderment and concern.  
“What’s going on? Who’s crying out?” Iago called. He looked around, as if scanning for any signs of trouble or disruption.

“That’s Othello’s Ensign, isn’t it?” Gratiano asked.  
“Indeed.” Lodovico confirmed. “A very valiant fellow.”  
Cassio and Roderigo shared a look. However, they remained silent.

Iago seemed to spot them, and came sprinting over. “What’s going on?” He looked at Cassio on the floor. “Lieutenant! What happened? Who did this to you?”  
Cassio looked conflicted. He bit his lip before responding. “I don’t know.” He stammered, either out of uncertainty or due to pain - it could have been both.  
“Hmm.” Iago looked thoughtful. Then his expression shifted to one of concern. “We’d better get something else to bind your wounds with. Here, I’ll use my jacket.”

Iago took his jacket off and wrapped it around Cassio’s leg, on top of Roderigo’s jacket that had already been there. He moved Cassio’s leg a little as he did so, whom winced at the pain - before promptly fainting.  
“Oh no! He’s fainted!” Roderigo couldn’t stop himself from blurting out.

Iago turned to face Roderigo, as if registering his presence for the first time. He looked at him long and hard, his face grave. He glanced at Lodovico and Gratiano.  
“Sirs, I believe _he_ ,” Iago gestured to Roderigo. “Is our culprit.”  
Roderigo’s mouth fell open in shock. Was Iago seriously trying to _frame him_ now?

Lodovico and Gratiano glanced at each other doubtfully, clearly unconvinced.  
“I didn’t! I swear!” Roderigo insisted, holding his hands up. “I don’t even know how to fight! I’m not even a soldier.”  
“That’s as well as maybe,” Iago said, his voice dangerously quiet and calm. “But how, pray tell, can you explain this?” He pointed to a sword on the floor that was close to Roderigo’s feet - exactly where he’d dropped it just five minutes earlier.

“I- I-” Roderigo faltered, trying to think of an explanation. Of course, he knew that Iago was the one who’d suggested that he do it. Iago was the one who furnished him with the sword in the first place - but Roderigo knew he couldn’t risk Iago finding out that his plots were known just yet. Besides, both Lodovico and Gratiano seemed to be under the illusion that Iago was an honest Ensign. Would they really believe him if he told them?  
Iago shook his head reprovingly. “Just as I thought.” He said gravely. He called over four officers whom had come out to survey the situation. Two of them were carrying a chair between them, which they carefully lifted Cassio on to. The other two officers immediately apprehended Roderigo, all whilst Lodovico and Gratiano looked in in shock.

“I swear I didn’t do it!” Roderigo protested as his hands were pinned behind his back.  
Iago shook his head. “That sword is our evidence. Besides, have you any proof?”  
Roderigo opened and shut his mouth. No words came out, because no, he didn’t have any other proof other than the fact that Cassio knew it wasn’t him. Unfortunately, he was still out, so he couldn’t corroborate Roderigo’s claims.

“Take him away.” Iago instructed.   
Roderigo stared at Iago, shaking his head in horror. He couldn’t believe that one man could be so spiteful. He couldn’t believe that he’d once regarded Iago as a friend.  
Iago stared back at him, his entire expression hard and unfeeling. Clearly he had never once considered Roderigo his friend.

Then Roderigo was led away.


	15. The Night that Either Makes or Breaks the Manipulator.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief chapter on Iago's reaction to the latest events that he *thinks* he managed to manipulate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another short one, but there's still some more to come. (:

Iago watched the officers take Roderigo away.  
 _Finally._ He thought triumphantly. _No more dealing with Roderigo. I don’t need him anymore, not now that he’s done most of my work for me. Pity I didn’t kill him, really._

  
“Could you be so helpful as to go with Cassio and see that he’s alright, sirs?” Iago asked Lodovico and Gratiano.  
They nodded solemnly.   
“We can indeed.” Lodovico agreed. “Well done for your instincts, Iago. You’re truly an honest man.”  
Iago smiled modestly. “Thank you.” He said.   
Lodovico and Gratiano left, and Iago couldn’t resist a sardonic smirk after them.

Just then, he heard his wife’s voice.  
“Husband?” Emilia’s voice called. She came into the light, running over to him. “What’s going on? I heard screaming.”  
Iago put his arm around her, as if in comfort. “There was an attempted murder. My good friend Roderigo tried to murder Cassio by stabbing him in the leg.”  
Emilia looked astonished. “Roderigo did that?” She asked. Then her face looked dismayed. “Oh, what a terrible day! Alas, poor Cassio!”  
Iago nodded. “It was such a terrible deed!” He agreed, sounding as if he was choking back a sob. 

He was faking it, naturally.

“Emilia, please go inform Othello and Desdemona of these tragic events. I myself will go along to see if Cassio’s alright.”  
Emilia nodded and began hurrying back towards the Citadel, leaving Iago standing alone in the dark.

Once she was out of sight, Iago allowed himself to chuckle in a sinister manner.  
“Everything’s running smoothly.” He told himself. “Roderigo won’t dare tell the truth, and nobody else is any the wiser. I’ve got them all completely trapped.” He paused. “Though I know I’m in an unbalanced position - this is the first time I had to act impulsively.” Iago shook his head.

_Well, tonight is either the night that makes me or breaks me._


	16. Preparing to Expose the Villain.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Othello and Desdemona talk briefly before Emilia comes in to tell them what's happened. Othello then leaves Desdemona with Emilia to go and find where Cassio and Roderigo have been taken.

Othello had his arm around Desdemona, the latter of whom was looking anxious.  
“What if something terrible has happens?” She asked worriedly, tightening her grip on her husband’s reassuring arm.  
Othello squeezed her tightly. “I should think we’d hear noises if something had.” He pointed out gently. So far, neither of them had heard anything aside from the soft evening breeze that swept its way in and out of the windows in the Citadel, whispering softly and leaving a slight chill in its wake.

Desdemona looked up at Othello with a smile. “You did a really good job of acting.”  
Othello chuckled. “Thank you, dear - I was worried that it was a bit _too_ authentic - but then again, Iago’s a tough one to fool.”  
Desdemona nodded in agreement. “That’s true. But we seem to have been successful so far - you, me, Emilia and Cassio, and this Roderigo.” Her expression turned concerned. “I haven’t seen or heard from Emilia or Cassio for a few hours or more - have you?”  
Othello shook his head. “No,” He admitted thoughtfully. “I’ve only really seen you and Iago very recently. I remember that Iago was telling me that we should kill you and Cassio. He told me I should smother you in our bed.” Othello added, a slight growl of frustration creeping into his voice. He pulled Desdemona closer to him, turning their position into an embrace. “Which I would never do. Then he volunteered to- oh no. Oh God.”

Suddenly, Othello’s arms slipped away from Desdemona as he brought his hands up to his face, to which he rested it in his palms.   
“What’s the matter, dear?” Desdemona asked in concern, putting a hand upon his shoulder.  
Othello’s hands dropped from his face as he turned to look at Desdemona with a troubled expression. “Iago volunteered to deal with Cassio. I know that’s not a good thing - and I told myself to _warn Cassio in advance_ \- and I didn’t get the chance to!”  
Desdemona’s face paled. “Oh no.” She murmured. “You don’t think-”

Her question was immediately cut off by the sound of the door banging open and someone rushing into the room. Othello turned to the door, his hand grabbing the hilt of his sword reflexively, ready to strike the intruder - but thank goodness it was only Emilia, looking out of breath and horrified.  
Desdemona noticed her distressed expression. “Emilia, what’s wrong? Iago didn’t do anything to you, did he?” She pestered, sounding vexed.  
Emilia managed to shake her head, for all she was completely out of breath from running all the way towards the Citadel. “No, I’m fine - but Cassio isn’t.”

Desdemona and Othello exchanged a dismayed glance. Her hand went directly to her mouth, smothering the gasp that came from it. His eyes closed in resignation and despair.  
“Do you mean…Iago’s killed him?” Othello asked quietly, his fists clenched.  
Thank _God_ that Emilia shook her head in response. “No, no…luckily not. But he did manage to wound Cassio by stabbing him in the leg.”

Desdemona cringed, just the thought making her own leg ache. “ _Ouch_.”  
“Did Iago get caught in the act?” Othello demanded, his eyes now looking hopeful.  
This time, it was unfortunate that Emilia shook her head. “No…instead, he framed Roderigo for it.” She sighed. “And now the innocent man has been taken under arrest.”  
Othello snarled under his breath. Iago and his wily ways were starting to get on his nerves.

“But couldn’t Cassio have backed Roderigo up? Surely he wasn’t fooled by Iago, considering that he already knew about his plots?” Desdemona pointed out, bewildered.  
“You’re right, my lady - but Cassio fainted before Roderigo was interrogated, so he couldn’t back him up.” Emilia told her, sighing in frustration. “The attack on Cassio is bad - but at least we’d have been able to use it as evidence of Iago’s plotting, if he’d been caught.”

Othello pondered. “But then, this is the first time Iago’s acted impulsively. If Cassio and Roderigo both know that Iago was the one who did it, then all they have to do is confirm it.” He pointed out. “And then we can all expose Iago’s plots with our evidence that we’ve gathered - it’ll be his word against ours, and besides, I’m the general and Cassio’s my lieutenant - they’re not likely to accuse either of us of lying now.”

“That’s true.” Desdemona agreed. She smiled at Othello. “You’re way more honest than Iago. Even those that have been deluded by him should realise that."  
Othello smiled back at her. Then his expression turned serious. “I should go find where Cassio and Roderigo have been taken before anything happens.” He said decisively. “Emilia, please wait here and keep my wife company. I shouldn’t be too long, and I’ll be bringing everyone back here as soon as I can - so be prepared, because that’s when we’re going to be exposing Iago for his plots.”

  
Emilia and Desdemona nodded, though the latter looked nervous. “Be careful, my lord.”  
Othello gave her a brief kiss before retreating. “Don’t you worry, Desdemona.” He reassured her. “I’m a soldier; a general. I know what I’m doing.”


	17. The Meaning of Marriage.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia and Desdemona stay behind and discuss marriage with one another, and Emilia explains why she married Iago despite the two of them having no real love for one another.

Once Othello had left the room, Desdemona leaned back on the chair and sighed happily. She was so lucky to have a husband like Othello. Their relationship was melodious and he was willing to do anything and everything to protect it. He’d been through so much in his past, what with his early days of slavery and all - but he’d survived it all and emerged from the horrors stronger and in a position of authority. She couldn’t have been more proud.

Even in her pleasant daze, Desdemona could see Emilia sitting silently next to her, her face devoid of happiness; instead, she looked exceedingly melancholy.  
“Emilia. What’s wrong?” Desdemona asked her attendant softly.  
Emilia shrugged as if she didn’t know where to start. “It’s just…Iago. I’m deeply ashamed to be wedded to such a deceptive and manipulative man. I don’t know why I ever agreed to the marriage,” she continued plaintively. “I guess I thought it would work. But it hasn’t.”

Desdemona reached out and touched her attendant’s hand. “Iago doesn’t deserve you, Emilia.” She said insistently. “He really does undermine and underrate you. But there’s a positive to this - once Iago gets exposed, I bet the state would happily grant you a divorce.”  
Emilia smiled slightly. “Thank you, my lady.” Then she sighed. “I would hope - but there’s no guarantees. It depends on what happens to Iago - and if it’s nothing extensive, then I doubt I’d be free of our marriage despite the fact that it’s an unhappy one.”

Desdemona nodded sadly. Unfortunately, both Venice and Cyprus had strict rules on marriage. Apparently women weren’t even allowed to file for a divorce unless there were very specific circumstances, which Desdemona supposed was just as well - most women were as happy as her in their marriages, weren’t they?

She asked this of Emilia, whom shook her head. “No, not all of them.”  
Desdemona found it astonishing to even _think_ that there were numerous women in society whom were living in an unstable and miserable marriage. She’d naturally assumed that all marriages were just like hers and Othello’s - blissful, idyllic and equal.

But Emilia was continuing to shake her head. “You’ll find that many marriages aren’t as positive as they appear on the surface. Many women get oppressed and physically or verbally abused by their husbands. They have no freedom or social lives. They don’t even choose who they want to marry - their father’s decide on the suitor themselves, and it’s not even out of romance. It’s solely for political or economical purposes.”

Desdemona listened, awestruck. She couldn’t believe that there really were marriages out there as horrible as that. Emilia had portrayed some of them as heartless and lacking romance - it was quite harrowing to learn that marriages like that actually existed.  
“So, if we’re talking about marriages here…” Desdemona trailed off as she prepared to ask her friend what felt like the ultimate question. “Why _did_ you marry Iago?”  
Emilia remained silent for at least half a minute; Desdemona guessed that she didn’t want to talk about it - which was understandable. It probably wasn’t the nicest topic to reflect upon. However, just as Desdemona was frantically trying to think of another topic to bring up [partly to ease the sudden tension] Emilia finally spoke.

“I married him for the reasons I mentioned just now. Because my father chose him for me - economical reasons, if I remember correctly.”  
Desdemona’s eyes widened. “But why?” She whispered, confusion filling her azure-blue eyes. “Didn’t your father realise what Iago was like?”  
Emilia nibbled her lip. “No.” She responded. “See, my father perceived Iago as a brave and loyal soldier - and at some stage, I suppose he was, but then he changed quite quickly after.” She once again emitted a deep sigh that wracked her whole body. “The marriage itself was fine. Things went quite well when we spent time together prior to the marriage - but it was only about a week after the wedding that things began to fall apart between us.”

Desdemona gave Emilia a sympathetic look. “Couldn’t you have told your father?”  
Emilia looked uncertain for a minute - then she shook her head, deciding that no, she couldn’t have. “Even back in those days, Iago was a master manipulator - he would have had no trouble at all fooling my father.” She said sourly. “And my father probably wouldn’t have done much even if he was aware, because the reasons were purely economic and at a benefit to him. He wouldn’t have been willing for me to divorce.”

Desdemona scooted closer to her attendant and slipped her arm around her shoulder because she was looking so woebegone, and she couldn’t stand Emilia looking like that.  
“Let’s have faith for now.” She suggested, determined to remain optimistic. “Iago might get a prison sentence for what he’s attempted to do - he did, after all, attack Cassio and try to kill him. Surely that’s punishable by prison?” 

Desdemona shuddered at the thought of prison. She didn’t know anyone who’d ever gone there, but she’d heard tales of the gruesome conditions, the chilling cells and some of the insane companions. It was a place that she never even wanted to step a foot near if she could help it. Perhaps that was partly why she always remained so loyal - not just out of romance and devotion to her husband, but also to avoid being punished by a prison sentence.

Emilia nodded, looking calmer and more settled than before, she noted. “You’re right, my lady.” She concurred, patting her lady’s hand gratefully as she gently lifted it off of her shoulders. After all, _she_ was _Desdemona’s_ attendant - it was generally her job to comfort her like that, not the other way round. She smiled as Desdemona began chatting enthusiastically about a river that she’d come across today - brilliant blue waves with the overhead sunlight casting thousands of little sparkles on the surface, making the ocean appear majestic and sparkling. She was so easy to please, and although Emilia would never express it directly, she felt closer to Desdemona than an attendant - more like a best friend.


	18. The Time is Getting Closer.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Othello's brief perspective as he leads everyone back to the Citadel.

Presently, Othello was leading everyone back towards the Citadel, intending to rejoin Desdemona and Emilia in his chamber so that everything could be revealed. 

It had clearly been a trying night for poor Cassio and Roderigo. Both of them looked exhausted, and unfortunately, Othello wasn’t able to offer them sympathies or anything, because he had to keep Iago under the illusion that he was furious with them both.

Cassio seemed to be half-asleep, barely capable of comprehending everything that was happening at once. He was being carried in a chair by Lodovico and Gratiano, his wounds had been properly dressed and treated [Othello had discreetly checked this when he’d first arrived] but the shock to his system was probably still quite prevalent. A rest would definitely be beneficial, but it wasn’t yet the time for that, since the focus was still on getting Iago rightly exposed.

Roderigo looked terrified as Montano led him along. Ever since Iago had accused him of being responsible for the attempted murder, Roderigo had been held prisoner, at first by the officers and then by Montano, whom had turned up to find out what all the hassle was. Now, he was firmly leading Roderigo along, careful to keep him in a controlled grip to prevent any possible escape attempts - not that Roderigo would have tried any, but still.

Gratiano and Lodovico’s shocked expressions had been replaced by discontent and disappointment - aimed directly at Roderigo. It evidently made the latter more than a little uncomfortable, but there was nothing that could be done just yet. Montano, Lodovico and Gratiano hadn’t been informed of what the others knew in case Iago found out - and besides, Iago was walking right along with them, so they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to anyway.

Iago himself didn’t look happy, nor dispirited or furious. His face was devoid of expression as he walked along with them, possibly to conceal any hints of his plots - ironic, because Othello already knew about them, it was just that Iago didn’t know that he knew. How eager he was to arrive back at his chamber so that Iago could be exposed for the devil that he was.


	19. Nearly Everyone's Fooled. Aren't They?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iago's thoughts and perspective as Othello leads all of them back to his bedchamber. The former remains under the delusion that he has almost everybody fooled.

Iago was almost completely lost in his own thoughts as he and the others walked towards--

Actually, where _was_ Othello taking them? He wasn’t sure.

  
Perhaps he was taking them to his chamber? Maybe he’d already killed Desdemona and wanted everyone to see for themselves? Probably not the most noble thing to do, killing your wife and then just displaying it to everyone - but then again, Othello was under his influence, right? It was only right and proper that he’d be acting a little bit nuts.

Iago watched him as he walked along near Cassio whom was being carried. It might have been the lack of light that distorted Iago’s vision, but he was almost 100% sure that Othello’s gait appeared to be rather stiff and unsettled.  
 _That’s because he’s under the impression that Cassio is his wife’s lover._ Iago thought triumphantly. _I bet he wants to say something to Cassio, but he’s too stubborn to do so._

Whilst Iago’s influence had clearly taken affect and he’d managed to pin the stabbing on Roderigo, he knew that he was in a precarious position now.  
He hadn’t succeeded in killing Cassio, which was what his intentions had been when slicing his leg. It was such a shame that Roderigo chickened out at the last minute, the damn fool. If he hadn’t, Iago wouldn’t have been forced to act on impulse for the first time.

Iago knew that there was now a very real possibility that Cassio would [inadvertently] expose his plots by telling Othello why he was seen with Desdemona frequently and where he found the handkerchief. 

Well. Cassio probably wouldn’t be explaining anything just yet, for he looked like he was only half-awake at best.   
_Shame._ Iago thought. _Shock can really damage the system. Hmm…_  
Maybe that’s what he should do next. He hadn’t managed to kill Cassio with his sword, so it could be that shock was the next best method. After all, the former lieutenant had already received a significant shock to his system. All Iago would have to do was deliver some more.

_Hmm. I’d better plan this out quickly and carefully - ideally before I get exposed._ Iago noted to himself. _But meanwhile…let’s see how Othello’s holding up…_

“General, you look rather tense.” Iago commented. “Is something the matter?”  
Othello glanced at him, glanced at Cassio, and then looked away uncomfortably. “Uh, no…no, nothing’s wrong. Thank you…honest Iago.”  
Iago grinned to himself. Othello was _definitely_ unsettled by Cassio’s presence.

“I have to say, Othello, you do seem a bit aloof and awkward tonight.” Montano remarked.  
Othello turned to him and smiled stiffly. “I…have my reasons.” He said vaguely.  
Iago’s smirk grew wider still. He knew exactly what those reasons were.  
“My lord, if you don’t mind my saying so, you’ve certainly seemed different today.” Lodovico added. “Especially this evening, when you snapped at your wife.”  
Montano arched his eyebrows and stared at Othello in surprise. “You snapped at your wife? Why, I can’t believe that…whatever possessed you to do such a thing?”  
Othello tightened his lips. “Because…it was emotional reasons.” He muttered.

Iago watched Othello’s uptight and distant manner, barely able to conceal his delight. Lodovico, Montano and Gratiano were clearly confused and astonished by Othello’s recent behaviour.   
_The wonders of manipulation, eh?_

“Where are we going anyway, general?” Gratiano questioned. “You turned up and ordered us to follow you, but you haven’t exactly explained to us where we’re going.”  
Iago scanned his nervous expression. He, like everyone else, probably thought that Othello was going to try and do something insane. He chuckled under his breath.

“We’re going to my bedchamber. There’s…something I want to show you.” Othello responded uneasily.  
 _He’s probably going to show them what he’s done to Desdemona!_ Iago realised. _Oh, how they’ll think he’s gone nuts! Othello’s going to seriously ruin his reputation…_

“We’re going to your bedchamber?” Cassio repeated dumbly.  
Othello slid him a sideways glance before nodding curtly. “Yes. We are.” He said coldly.  
This time, Iago had to press his lips together to stop a laugh escaping. He found it hilarious that Othello was acting cold towards Cassio - all thanks to his master manipulation and Othello’s foolishness. He’d been convinced of Cassio and Desdemona’s affair within a matter of minutes. Excluding Roderigo, Iago had never seen someone more easily fooled.

Speaking of Roderigo, he was walking along stiffly beside Montano, whom was still firmly keeping him held prisoner. Even out of the corner of his eye, Iago could see Roderigo glaring at him. Of course, Iago had framed him for the murder attempt, so it wasn’t really a shock at all. Plus, it was unlikely that Roderigo would be able to wriggle his way out of retribution - Iago had already pointed out substantial evidence for his alleged participation in the attempt; Cassio was clearly in no fit condition to back up Roderigo’s innocence, if he was even aware of who had done it in the first place.

Things were still going quite well. Granted that a couple of elements of his former plan had been changed, the vast majority of it had taken place smoothly. Now all he needed to do was swiftly figure out some extra steps to his original plan in order to prevent the truth from coming out.


	20. The End of Iago.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Othello takes everyone back to his bedchamber, and Iago is finally exposed for who he is.

For some reason, Othello’s heart was hammering in his chest as they got closer and closer to the Citadel. It felt like he was about to enter a battle with a thousand Turks up against him, even though he was only going to be entering his bedchamber…and exposing Iago for what he really was as well, but surely that wasn’t too nerve-wracking right?

Well…it was debatable. Iago had proven that he was capable of treachery and his actions were unpredictable - what if he tried something when he found out that he got exposed? Unfortunately, Iago was pretty quick as well as being light on his feet.

Othello took a deep breath as they entered the Citadel. _It’s now or never. This has to be done before Iago tries to do something else that could be potentially damaging to us all._

He pushed open the doors of the his and Desdemona’s chamber - to reveal Emilia and Desdemona sitting upon the bed, the latter being _very much alive._

Othello stole a quick glance at his Ensign. He noted that Iago looked irritated and confused, although he was doing his best to hide it to look inconspicuous.  
Desdemona looked up and smiled at Othello, though she was unmistakably perplexed. Emilia looked similarly tense beside her, especially when she glanced at her husband.

Othello walked over to Desdemona. Emilia got up off the bed and stood at the side to allow Othello to sit next to his wife. He sat down close to her and put an arm around her. He said nothing. He then gently guided her over to where Cassio and Roderigo were, gesturing for Emilia to follow.

Then he let go…before going over to his bed, reaching under it - and grabbing hold of a sword.

Montano, Lodovico and Gratiano echoed one another’s gasps as they stared at Othello as if he was insane.  
Othello, however, walked calmly back over to Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia and Roderigo, stepping in front of them protectively.

“What’s going on, general?” Montano demanded, both bewildered and suspicious.  
Othello looked him in the eyes. “I have something to tell you three.”  
Lodovico frowned in confusion. “What on earth do you need to tell us? Why have you brought out your sword? What are you planning on doing?”

Othello waited for the questions to die down before responding.  
“Gentlemen. I need to bring it to your attention that my Ensign,” Othello began, gesturing towards Iago with his sword. “Is not who he seems. He’s a deceptive manipulator.”

  
Iago stared at Othello in surprise. “Why would you accuse me of such things, general?” He asked innocently.

Othello crossed his arms and glared at Iago, finally expressing his true anger towards his Ensign - anger that he’d kept back throughout the entire day in order to keep things running smoothly. Anger and rage that had made his blood boil, gnawing away at his innards for the best part of the day. Finally, he could let it all out.  
“Because you attempted to manipulate me into thinking my wife was guilty of an affair with Cassio.” He answered angrily. “You were going to convince me to _murder_ her.”

“Oh, what a monstrous act.” Montano muttered from the side.  
“Are you sure you haven’t gotten your wires crossed, general?” Lodovico asked suspiciously. “This seems a little bit far-fetched.”

“I know it does - but believe me, I know it’s the truth. These guys can confirm it.” Othello said, pointing to Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia and Roderigo, whom all murmured in confirmation, backing Othello up.

“That’s why Cassio got drunk and ended up attacking you.” Othello said to Montano.   
“I’m sorry. Very sorry.” Cassio mumbled almost incomprehensibly.  
“Iago’s plan was to get him drunk and then pick a fight with him so that he’d get demoted. Then he suggested to Cassio that he beseech Desdemona to try and get back in my favour.” Othello continued. “Thankfully, he overheard Iago speaking of his intentions when the latter thought he was sleeping.” Othello cast Iago an irate look. “He heard all of your plans to make me suspect Desdemona of infidelity - cheating on me with Cassio.”

Iago folded his arms. “How do you know that was my intention? You might have misinterpreted everything that I was saying.” He claimed.  
Othello shook his head. “I can assure you we didn’t.” He said calmly. He looked at Emilia, prompting her to start speaking.

“You’ve always asked me to steal Desdemona’s handkerchief.” Emilia pointed out, fixing her husband with a steely gaze. “And when I gave it to you, you wouldn’t tell me what you intended to use it for. But we know that you planted it in Cassio’s room to frame him.”

Iago didn’t dispute this. However, he wasn’t done speaking.  
“Well even if that’s all true, you can’t arrest me for anything. I didn’t commit any physical crimes.”

“Oh yes you did!” Roderigo piped up indignantly. “You tried to get me to kill Cassio - and when I didn’t do it, you attempted to do it instead by stabbing him in the leg! I saw you! Then you tried to pin the blame on me!”

Cassio nodded. “That’s right.” He clarified, still mumbling slightly, though seemingly gradually regaining his grip on reality. “I was watching him. I should know.”

“We were only talking to each other prior to the stabbing.” Roderigo explained. “The reason that there was a sword at my feet was because Iago gave it to me after asking me to kill Cassio for him. I dropped it as soon as I got the chance to.”

Iago looked from Othello, to Desdemona, to Emilia, to Roderigo and Cassio, and back again. He comprehended everything that had just been said, along with his exposure. 

He thought about it all - and abruptly made a break for it.

Othello sighed in frustration. “Oh for goodness sake-” He took a step towards the door.  
“Don’t worry general - we’ll go after him.” Montano reassured Othello. “He’s a notorious villain.” He turned to Gratiano. “Take this weapon and guard the door. Don’t let Iago back in here. I’m going after that same villain, for he’s a damned slave.”   
Montano and Gratiano left the room quickly, the former in pursuit of Iago.

Meanwhile, Lodovico was still looking at Othello and the others with curiosity.  
“So, if you knew about Iago’s plans all along…why did you snap at Desdemona earlier?” He asked Othello, his tone slightly indignant.  
“We were pretending. See, this whole time the five of us have acted as Iago would have expected us to, should we have remained oblivious to his scheming. It was to make sure that he didn’t suspect us of already knowing and try pulling something else - or even worse, pulling a few strings and somehow getting away with his actions.” Othello explained.

“My lord was only acting earlier on, good cousin.” Desdemona insisted, smiling up at her husband. “He’d never snap at me. It was all simply for Iago’s benefit.”

For the next few minutes, the others continued to explain to Lodovico exactly what had happened since that morning: the revelation of Iago’s treachery, the resolution to act oblivious to avoid the truth getting out, the things that they had seen Iago do and heard Iago say, some of them relatively disturbing - all of it came out and Lodovico listened, his eyes widening as the recounting of the day continued right up to the current point.

“Well, you’ve all done exceedingly well to get up to this point.” Lodovico observed. “It must have been awfully difficult to keep up the act around Iago.”  
Othello nodded in agreement, thinking fleetingly back to the part where he’d had to snap at Desdemona to remain “in-character” [in Iago’s case.] It had been extremely tough to do, and he’d felt terrible after doing so, as if he was a monster of a husband.

Presently, Gratiano and Montano re-entered the room. To everyone’s relief, Iago was with them, being strongly detained by Montano, whom didn’t look a bit scared of him.  
“I believe that there’s many questions to be asked.” Montano said, nodding towards Iago.  
“Indeed there is.” Othello concurred. He opened his mouth to ask the first question, but Iago interrupted, stopping him in his tracks.

“Don’t demand me anything.” He said bluntly. “You know what you know. From this time forth, I’ll never speak another word.” He crossed his arms, a look of defiance on his face.  
Othello rolled his eyes in incredulity. Meanwhile, everyone else was looking at Iago with evident exasperation. He’d tried to cause much chaos just recently - it was only human decency to actually explain why he’d attempted to do so, was it not?

“Are you seriously not going to speak? Not even to pray?” Lodovico demanded.  
“Torture should make you talk.” Gratiano interjected, his voice threatening.  
Othello considered. “Very good idea, sir.” He said to Gratiano. He turned to Iago, his expression resolute. “Which is it, Iago? Revealing your motives, or torture for the rest of your days?”

Iago looked Othello dead in the eyes, as if he was trying to figure out whether or not the general was being serious. His eyes looked conflicted - clearly he was indecisive. He remained silent and thoughtful for several suspenseful seconds. 

In the end, he concluded that yes, Othello was indeed being serious, and those two choices were the only ones available.

“Fine.” Iago said dismissively. “What do you want to know?”  
Othello walked right up to his Ensign, stood in front of him, and crossed his arms. Although Iago was continuing to look unbothered, Othello could tell that this move had intimidated him a little bit - especially since he was a couple of feet taller.

“Why did you try and get Cassio demoted and killed?”

Iago pretended to emit an inappropriate yawn, acting like he found the entire question insignificant. He caught Othello’s eyes and realised that he wasn’t going to get away with leaving any of the questions unanswered, no matter how irrelevant or idiotic he thought them to be.

“Because he was promoted to Lieutenant.” Iago said simply. “I mean, why? He’s all bookish theory and no practice.”  
Cassio looked indignant. He was about to object, but Othello interjected quickly.

“Iago, if you must know, I promoted him not just based on his skills, but also his friendliness and courtesy manners.” He declared. “Promotion isn’t just based on skills, though it is a large part of it. You also have to take into account a person’s status and their mannerisms. How good would it have looked if I’d chosen someone who was hypocritical and aloof, even if they had the skills for the job? And besides,” Othello added. “Cassio is perfectly capable. He’s also demonstrated his abilities in various situations. You simply weren’t there to experience them yourself.”

Iago snorted derisively. He looked like he wanted to say something scathing in response, but he thought better of it when he regarded all of the stern faces in the room.  
“So is there anything else you want to ask?” He asked in an off-hand manner, acting like he couldn’t care less about the interrogation and the fact that he’d been exposed.

“Why,” Othello began quietly. “Did you try and ruin mine and Desdemona’s relationship?”  
Iago sniffed. “Isn’t it obvious?”  
Othello bit back another sigh of frustration. “Would I be asking if it was? Now tell me.”  
Iago hesitated. For the first time, he looked uncertain. “Are you sure you want to know?”  
Othello nodded firmly. He fixed Iago with a grave gaze and waited.

Iago heaved a sigh. “Okay, well…you asked.” He said warningly. “If you really, really want to know why I tried to wreck your marriage…well, I attempted it because I love you.”  
Othello scarcely blinked. “I know that you used to - you’ve stated it often enough. But if you were _really_ my friend, then why would you try something like this?”

There was a brief pause. The tension in the room grew tenfold as Iago stared daggers at Othello. Othello himself was confused and exasperated - as was almost everyone else. 

Then Cassio cleared his throat. “Um, if I may interpose: I think Iago meant he _loves_ you Othello. As in…the romantic way.” He explained awkwardly.

“Oh. I see.” Othello said, shaking his head. He frowned. “I never thought you liked men in that way, Iago.”  
Iago shrugged, blushing ever so slightly. “Well I do.” He responded. “But that’s irrelevant.”  
Othello sighed. “I’d have understood if you’d just told me how you felt. I wouldn’t have punished you, kicked you off of the army, or anything like that. I’m reasonable like that.”

Iago snorted derisively. “Oh yes? Because homosexuality is so accepted in this society, isn’t it?” He deadpanned. “Because there are hundreds of homosexual couples out there, aren’t there? Get real, general. Think of the stigma.”

Othello shook his head. “You might as well say that interracial marriages and relationships are the same.” He pointed out. “Few people are in one, after all. But that’s where you’re wrong - it’s not stigmatised, it’s simply just not a popular choice - much like being homosexual isn’t. But that doesn’t mean it’s viewed negatively by anyone around here.”

Iago still didn’t look convinced. “Can you name anyone that you know who’s homosexual?” He challenged.

As Othello paused, attempting to think of an example, Roderigo quietly and discreetly caught Cassio’s eye. The latter bit his lip. It was obvious what Roderigo was silently asking him. If he could make their new relationship known in order to provide an example. Although slightly doubtful, Cassio gave Roderigo a slight nod.

Roderigo coughed politely. Once he had everyone’s attention [including Iago’s] he began to speak.  
“I’m homosexual, Iago.” He said simply.  
Iago looked disdainful. “Well yes, that figures-”  
“I’m in a relationship with Cassio.”

Cassio visibly winced when everyone’s attention was suddenly focused on him - albeit due to surprise or some form of congratulation - but he tried not to look too perplexed.

“That’s right.” He clarified, trying to make it out as no big deal even though he was feeling a little embarrassed to admit it. “So there you go…it’s not just you.”

Iago, once again, shrugged begrudgingly. “Whatever you say.” He muttered. Either way, there was no way that he could justify his actions…so he had to face whatever punishment he had coming to him.

Othello looked at Iago for a long while, deep in contemplation. Nobody said anything as he did this. 

Eventually, Othello let out a breath as he prepared to speak once more.  
“Iago, I’m sorry to say this, but you’re no longer my Ensign. Or even a part of my army. Your deception and treachery makes you too untrustworthy. I’m going to take your crimes to the Venetian government when I temporarily travel back there - let them decide what shall be done with you. Meanwhile, you’re going to remain a prisoner here in Cyprus.” He turned to Montano. “I trust you will be able to deal with him effectively. Please do so.”

Montano nodded solemnly. “I will do, general.” He answered, once again detaining Iago. “Come. It’s off to prison for you.”  
As Montano led him away, Iago didn’t even try to attempt to resist or run away. It looked like he’d accepted the fact that he’d been caught - and accepted the consequences.

After a few more minutes of checking to make sure the others were okay, Lodovico and Gratiano followed, still a little dazed over everything that had occurred that evening.

That just left Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, Cassio and Roderigo - whom all quietly made eye contact for the briefest of seconds before falling into a fit of laughter between them.  
“I have no idea if I’m laughing out of content or relief.” Desdemona gasped, ineffectually trying to stifle her laughter with the back of her hand. “I really, really don’t.”  
Othello smiled tenderly at her. “Neither do I, sweet. Still, it’s good to laugh after such an eventful evening.”

Once the laughter had faded away into the occasional giggle here and there, Desdemona turned to Emilia.  
“How are you feeling knowing that Iago has been imprisoned?” She asked sympathetically.   
Emilia smiled. “As relieved as you are, my lady.” She responded confidently. “It’s just…I still feel rather ashamed to be his wife. I have no idea how divorce works in this situation.”

  
“Do not worry.” Othello interjected. “I shall have special words with the state and demand that they grant you permission to get a divorce from that notorious villain.”  
Emilia nodded gratefully. “Thank you.” She said, relieved.

Meanwhile, Roderigo was looking thoughtful, his mind clearly away from the present. Cassio nudged him gently and gave him a questioning look. “Are you alright?” He queried.

Roderigo jumped slightly, making everyone chuckle again. After that had died down, he nodded, grinning sheepishly. “Yeah, thanks. I was just thinking about how shocking it was to hear that Iago was homosexual and had feelings for Othello all this time.” He responded.

Emilia nodded in agreement. “I always knew that he was something of a misogynist, but I never expected him to be actually in proper love with any man.”

“It makes sense, though, now you think about it.” Othello mused. “When I was speaking to Iago earlier about ‘evidence’, he mentioned that he didn’t possess homosexual desires - but I hadn’t even mentioned anything about that. It makes a lot more sense now I know.”  
“Plus Iago’s detailed description of my apparent ‘erotic dream’.” Cassio added dryly.  
Othello nodded. “That too. I was wondering how Iago was so good at picturing something like that.” He shook his head. “Anyway, how is your leg, good lieutenant?”  
“It’s getting there, thank you.” Cassio responded. “Nowhere near as bad as it was in the moment.”  
Othello smiled. “Good. Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but it would probably be a good time to call it a night - especially after the rather eventful night we’ve had.”

Nobody else complained. They were all similarly knackered after literally everything that they had experienced in the last hour.

_And so, everyone bade each other goodnight._   
_Othello and Desdemona retired to bed together, hugging each other close. They were determined to make up for lost time - and to appreciate the fact that they still had each other, a luxury that could have been ruined if Iago had succeeded with his schemes._   
_Cassio, Roderigo and Emilia tactfully left the room to give them some alone time._

_Cassio and Roderigo then accompanied Emilia to her lodgings that she shared with Iago - the lodgings that were now empty and echoing without Iago’s presence, but Emilia insisted that she didn’t mind the solitude a bit, and entered with a relieved smile on her face._

_Then Cassio and Roderigo continued on to their own lodgings, hand-in-hand so that Roderigo could assist Cassio with walking properly. The latter was extremely grateful, and suggested that they both retire to his lodging for the night, as it was closer and had an extra bed anyway._   
_Roderigo happily agreed to the idea, and the two of them were settled peacefully inside the lodgings in no time. They shared a prolonged embrace before settling down to sleep for the remainder of the night._

_All five of them slept exceptionally well. For the first time in the last twenty-four hours, they had no worries or concerns over what Iago was going to do next. The villain was safely behind bars._

_Meanwhile, Iago leaned up against the wall in the gloomy and dull cell that was now his temporary home, peering out at the stars in the sky outside from the tiny window several feet out of his reach. As he did so, he briefly wondered what life would have been like if it hadn’t given him any lemons. If he’d been promoted to lieutenant from the beginning, or even better, if he’d had the opportunity to start a romantic relationship with Othello like he’d been wanting to do for the last few months. It was without a doubt that none of this would have happened. Iago’s schemes wouldn’t have even existed._

_“Well,” Iago thought ruefully as the shadows in the room began to fade in the process of sleep taking over. “My reputation as ‘honest Iago’ has finally fizzled out.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the final chapter [and a bit of a long one for that same reason]. Personally I think this chapter isn't as well-written as some of the previous ones, but I hope it's still enjoyable regardless!
> 
> Thank you to all of those who read this - I hope you enjoyed it! (:
> 
> I'm still writing other fan-fiction based on Othello, so that should start being posted relatively soon [if anyone wants me to post any more, that is!]
> 
> But again, thank you to those who took the time to read this, and hopefully, enjoyed it - I really appreciate it. (:


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